AVTRY  Al<(  I II 1 1  (  1 URAL  AND  FlNi;  ARTS  LIBRARY 

Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Dursi  Old  York  Library 


0V<-  IOII&    gox  5| 


THE  HUDSON  GUILD 

436-8  West  Twenty-seventh 
Street,  Ne  Ipo  York  City 


Spinet  e  en    Hundred  Ten 


HUDSON 
GUILD 
PRINT 


See  report 

on  the 
printshop 
I  


GDfftrrrB  of  tljr  iiufosott  (Swlii 


urustrcs 


Mrs.  George  L.  Beer 
Alexander  M.  Bing 
Samuel  P2ise man- 
Arthur  M.  Eisig 
George  B.  Greer 
Charles  J.  Liebmann 
Otto  Eidlitz 


Mrs.  Bella  Hirsch 
Robert  B.  Hirsch 
I.  H.  Klein- 
Leo  Stein- 
Herbert  L.  Stein 
A.  W.  Openhym 
James  Cullen 
Max  Mendel 


Charles  J.  Liebmann 
Herbert  L.  Stein  . 
Alexander  M.  Bing  . 


President 
Secretary 
Treasurer 


itxi'ruttuc  ^>taff 

John  Lovejoy  Elliott     .       .       ...       .     Head  Worker 

Miss  Fannie  E.  Wolff  Samuel  Gleason 

Miss  Ella  B.  Westcott  Miss  Jane  Fulton 

John  A.  F.  Splain  Miss  Marie  Valentine 

Mrs.  Anna  W.  Hoiioff  Arthur  L.  Blue 

Miss  Olive  L.  Whitson 


Miss  Mary  E.  Ehle  .       .  .       .       .       .  Librarian 

Miss  Sarah  Eliot  Newman  Music  Director 

Miss  Katharine  Osborne  Nurse 

From  the  Junior  League,  through  the  Nurses'  Settlement 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


(Emmril  (Committees 


House  Committee  . 
District  Committee 
Membership  Committee 
Education  Committee 
Entertainment  Committee 
CHELSEA  Committee  . 
Pool  Room  Committee 

George  B.  Greek 
Max  Meyer 
Miss  Julia  Wolfe 
William  A.  I- ark  ell 


.    Joseph  McManus 
Mrs.  Anna  W.  EiOHOFF 
Albert  I).  Patterson 
John  Lovejoy  Elliott 
Joseph  P.  Molloy,  Jr. 
John  A.  F.  Splain 
.    Robert  Daggett 

.  President 
Vice-President 
Secretary 
Treasurer 


tiubaon  (Suilb  Alhlettr  Asanrtatinn 

William  Cowrie  President 

Albert  D.  Patterson  Secretary 

William  A.  Far r ell  Treasurer 

Joseph  A.  McManus  ....  Financial  Secretary 
Thomas  McKlligott       ....  Serjeant-at-Arms 

Executive  Committee 
Chairman  Louis  Smith 


Court  of  the  Clubs'  Council 

Thomas  Dowling  Arthur  Smock  Max  Meyer 

John  A.  F.  Splain  William  A.  Farrell 

6 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Holtmtrrr  Unrkpre 


Mrs.  Adler 
Miss  F.  Altschul 
Miss  J.  Bachman 
Miss  L.  Barbe 
Mrs.  Geo.  W.  Beer 
Mrs.  A.  Bellar 
Miss  F.  Bernkopf 
Mrs.  Alex.  M.  Bing 
Mrs.  Blum 
Joseph  K.  Blum 
Miss  Elsie  Brod 
Miss  Bruns 
Mrs.  Button 
Miss  Etta  Cohen 
Mrs.  Cullman 
Miss  Cullman 
Mrs.  Jas.  B.  Curtis 
Miss  F.  Davidson 
Mrs.  Wm.  Dawson 
Miss  A.  De  Pinna 
Miss  W.  Doherty 
Mrs.  S.  Eiseman 
Miss  F.  Ernst 
Miss  C.  Fleischman 
Miss  Furchgott 
Mrs.  Fleming 
Miss  M.  Gans 
Miss  Goldstone 
Miss  M.  Goodkind 


Mrs.  Harburger 
Mrs.  Hecht 
Miss  Henry 
Mrs.  A.  Herman 
Mrs.  E.  B.  Heymann 
Miss  Alice  Hirsch 
Mrs.  Bella  Hirsch 
Miss  Louise  Hirsch 
Mrs.  Eugene  Hoeber 
Miss  Hurry 
Miss  T.  Isenstein 
Miss  D.  Jacoby 
Mrs.  W.  Jonas 
Miss  L.  Kalman 
Mrs.  J.  Kaufmann 
Mrs.  Klaber 
Miss  Dora  Lange 
Mrs.  Lippmann 
Miss  A.  Loeb 
Mrs.  F.  A.  Lyons 
Miss  Maas 
Mrs.  A.  W.  Martin 
Miss  P.  Matzner 
Mrs.  Max  Mendel 
Miss  B.  Morgenstern 
Miss  L.  Morgenstern 
Miss  B.  Munker 
Miss  New 
Miss  H.  Newman 
Miss  S.  E.  Newman 


Miss  L.  Parsons 
Miss  M.  Persico 
Miss  Helen  Phillips 
Miss  E.  Phillips 
Miss  E.  Plaut 
Miss  J.  Randolph 
Miss  E.  Ries 
Mrs.  L.  Rosenblatt 
Miss  Rothfeld 
Mrs.  Ruef 
Miss  Seeman 
Mrs.  Sol.  Smith 
Mrs.  G.  R.  Smith 
Miss  T.  Stieglitz 
Miss  H.  Stieglitz 
Mrs.  Leo  Stein 
Miss  G.  Stein 
Mrs.  Steiner 
Mrs.  Stone 
Mrs.  J.  A.  Strasser 
Miss  Townsend 
Miss  R.  Van  Atta 
Miss  F.  Yolk 
Miss  G.  Weil 
Miss  M.  Wilden 
M  iss  M.  Woodhull 
Mrs.  Wolff 
Mrs.  Alfred  R,  Wolff 
Miss  Florence  Wolff 


7 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Monday  morning — 9  to  12 

Kindergarten      ....    yearly  average  attendance,  70 

Monday  afternoon    3:30  to  5 

Printing  class    ........      7  members 

Piano  lessons  and  practice  12  " 

Kindergarten  Club   I  14  " 

"II  IS 

•     III  is 

Union  Club  (girls)  2V  " 

Cooking  class    .       .       .       .       .       .       .  2<>  " 

Ontario  Club  (boys)     ......  15 

Gymnasium      .....     Open  to  boys  X  to  12  years 

Library         ........     Open  3:30  to  6 

Penny  Provident  Hank  Open  3  to  5,        regular  depositors 


Monday  evening — 7:30  to  11 

Meeting  of  House  Committee 

Chelsea  Girls'  Club  30  members 

Plan  reading  and  coaching  for  civil  service  examinations. 

Lincoln  Athletic  Club  20  members 

Mohawk  Athletic  Club  24 

General  pool  room  ....  Open  to  men  of  all  clubs 
Gymnasium  ....  Open  to  men  IS  years  and  over 
Library  Open  7  to  9 

8 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Tuesday  morning — 9  to  12 

Kindergarten 

Tuesday  afternoon — 3:30  to  5 

Printing  class    ........     6  members 

Carpentry  class      .       .       .       .       .       .       .  16 

Piano  lessons  and  practice        .....  S 

Kindergarten  club  21 

Martha  Washington  Club  .       .       .       .  .30 

Advanced  Sewing"  Class        .       .       .       .       .  7u 

Study  classes  (two)    .......  16 

Cooking  class         .......  20 

Lincoln  Club      .       .       .  •  .       .       .  .26 

Young  Monarchs    .......  16 

Gymnasium        .....  Open  to  boys  12  to  16  years 

Library    .........  Open  3: 30  to  6 

Penny  Provident  Rank    .       .  ...       Open  3  to  5 


Tuesday  evening — 7:30  to  11 

Madison  Social  Club  .       .       .       .       .       .       .IS  members 

Twentieth  Century  Club        .       .       .       .       .       27  " 

Council  meeting        ....      Second  Tuesday  of  mont 

Aragon  Athletic  Club     ......       26  member 

Cooking  class,  open  to  Madison  Social  and  Twentieth  Century  clubs 
General  pool  room        ....   Open  to  men  of  all  clubs 

Gymnasium  .  .  Open  to  young  men  under  18  years 
Library  Open  7  to  9 


') 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 

Wednesday  morning — 9  to  12 

Kindergarten 

Wednesday  afternoon — 3:30  to  5 

Printing  class   7  members 

Carpentry  class   12 

Kindergarten  Festival  Club   20 

Dolls'  dressmaking  class       .....  43 

Cooking  class    ........  20 

Chelsea  Junior  Club   25 

Piano  class        ........  2 

Mothers'  meeting  

Invitation  extended  to  mothers  of  all  club  members 

Gymnasium  Open  to  boys  8  to  12  years 

Library  Open  3:30  to  6 

Penny  Provident  Hank  Open  3  to  5 


Wednesday  evening — 7:30  to  11 


Printing  class  5  members 

Good  Cheer  Club  (every  second  Wednesday)      .  41 

Dancing  class  30 

Girls'  literature  class     ......        8  " 

Stenography  class      .       .       .       .       -       .  -7 

General  pool  room        ....  Open  to  men  of  all  clubs 

Gymnasium       ....     Open  to  men  18  years  and  over 

Library  Open  7  to  9 

10 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Thursday  morning — 9  to  12 

Kindergarten 

Thursday  afternoon — 3:30  to  5 

Printing  class     ........     5  members 

Carpentry  class      .       .       .       .       .       .       .  15 

Piano  lessons  and  practice        .       .       .       .  .12 

Kindergarten  Club        ......  21 

Eagle  Social  Club     .  .       .       .  '      .  .14 

Beginning  sewing  class  .       .       ."       .       .  .120 

Cooking  class  20 

Washington  Club  .......  25 

Franklin  Club    ........  15 

Gymnasium    ......   Open  to  girls  of  all  clubs 

Library  Open  3:30  to  6 

Penny  Provident  Bank  Open  3  to  5 


Thursday  evening — 7:30  to  11 

Printing  class     ........     5  members 

Manhattan  Social  Club  ......        9  " 

Progress  Club  16  " 

Emerald  Athletic  Club  19 

Crescent  Athletic  Club  20 

Cooking  class         .       .       .       .       .       .       .       12  " 

Junto  literature  group        .       .       .       .       .       .12  " 

Plan  reading  and  coaching  for  civil  service  examinations. 
General  pool  room        ....    Open  to  men  of  all  clubs 

Gymnasium       .....       Open  to  girls  of  all  clubs 

Library  Open  7  to  9 


1 1 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Friday  morning — 9  to  12 

Kindergarten 

Friday  afternoon — 3:30  to  5 

Printing  class    ........    3  members 

Carpentry  class      .       .       .       .       .       .       .       12  " 

Piano  lessons  and  practice       .      .      .      .      .12  " 

Marie  Antoinette  Chili  9  " 

Fulton  Club  18 

Kagle  Athletic  Club  17  " 

Cooking  class  12  " 

Gymnasium    .....  Open  to  boys  of  12  to  16  years 

Library  Open  3:30  to  6 

Penny  Provident  Hank  Open  3  to S 

Friday  evening — 7:30  to  11 

Young  Girls'  Social  Club  24  members 

Mercury  Club  12  " 

Mothers'  gathering  .  .  .  .  .  -  .45 
Chelsea  Improvement  League  (alternate  Fridays)  28 
Arithmetic  class        .       .       .       .       .       .  5  " 

Chelsea  Athletic  Club  f>8 

Mothers'  Club  (monthly  meeting)    .       .       .  .61 
General  pool  room        ....    Open  to  men  of  all  clubs 
Gymnasium       ....     Open  to  men  18  years  and  over 
Library    .   Open  7  to  9 

12 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Saturday  morning — 9  to  12 

Piano  lessons     ........(>  members 

Sewing  class  .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       \r>  " 

Library      ........    Open  all  morning 

Gymnasium    .....     All  boys  for  basketball,  etc. 


Saturday  afternoon — 1  to  6 


Gymnasium.    Open  to  men  of  all  clubs  for  handball,  basketball 

and  baths 


Saturday  evening — 7:30  to  11 

General  pool  room  ....  Open  to  men  of  all  clubs 
Gymnasium  .....  Open  for  games  and  baths 
Dances  usually  occur  on  Saturday  evenings,  from  8  P.  m.  to  I  a.  m. 


Sunday — all  day 

General  pool  room       ....    Open  to  men  of  all  clubs 
Concerts  in  Assembly  Hall,  alternate  Sunday  afternoons,  Novem- 
ber to  March. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  the  Junto  Club,  the  senior  men's 
organization,  uses  its  own  rooms  every  evening  of  the  week, 
Saturday  afternoons,  Sundays  and  holidays.  This  club  has 
IAS  members,  19  years  of  age  and  over. 


13 


14 


THE 


HUDSON 


GUILD 


jtap00£  of  the  dmlo 


The  registration  of  the  Hudson  Guild  shows  about  2, (XX)  per- 
sons in  attendance.  There  are  55  organizations  of  various  kinds 
meeting  under  the  Guild's  auspices.  The  expenses  of  maintaining 
the  work  are  about  $16,500  per  year.  Of  this  sum  $14,900  is  con- 
tributed by  friends  of  the  Guild  work,  and  about  $1,500  by  the 
members  of  the  house  clubs. 


Numbers 


The  Guild  is  a  democratic  organization  both  in  spirit  and  in 


Its  form  of 
organization 


form,  the  order  of  the  house  being  in  the  hands  of  the  Clubs' 
Council  and  its  committees,  all  of  whom  are  elected  by  house 
members.  The  Board  of  Trustees,  who  financially  support  the 
Guild  and  direct  its  general  plan,  is  composed  of  friends  outside 
the  neighborhood,  and  also  of  club  members.  The  staff  of  workers 
is  made  up  of  those  who  have  had  special  training  in  colleges  and 
schools  and  of  those  who  have  come  into  the  work  through  the 
clubs  and  classes  of  the  Guild. 

In  no  sense  can  it  be  said  that  the  Hudson  Guild  is  sectarian, 
nor  yet  political,  in  its  purposes.  Its  sole  object  is  to  help  men 
and  women  and  children  just  as  men  and  women  and  children  in 
their  work  and  play  ;  to  lend  a  hand  in  time  of  distress,  and  above 
all  to  organize  and  give  effectiveness  to  those  social  instincts  that 
exist  in  all  men.  There  are  certain  differences,  too,  between  the 
Guild  work  and  that  of  a  social  settlement.  There  are  no  resi- 
dents, but  many  of  the  workers  live  in  the  neighborhood.  The 
attempt  is  to  get  the  people  of  the  district  themselves  to  be  the 
social  workers  and  the  regenerators  of  their  own  neighborhood. 

The  purpose  of  the  Guild  is  to  bring  about  active  co-operation 
between  different  individuals  and  different  classes  for  a  single  aim 
— that  aim  being  an  attempt  to  learn  how  to  live  in  a  city.  A 
short  walk  through  the  meaner  streets  of  almost  any  great  city  in 
America  reveals  clearly  enough  the  fact  that  we  have  not  yet 
learned  to  live  together  with  a  sufficient  degree  of  cleanliness. 


15 


better  conditions 
is  needed 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 

happiness  and,  in  many  ways,  not  even  with  decency.  In  part  the 
trouble  seems  to  come  from  the  houses  where  a  majority  of  the 
people  IjvCi  the  lack  of  space,  light,  air,  playgrounds  for  young 
Why  work  (or  and  old,  the  standards  of  work  and  wages  ;  in  part  it  comes  from 
our  not  perceiving  the  line  relations  which  we  can  have  with  other 
people  under  existing  conditions.  The  attempt  that  the  Guild  is 
making  is  to  get  people  to  work  for  better  conditions  in  such  a  way 
that  tin  liner  human  relations,  such  as  nci^hboiiiness  and  fra- 
ternity, may  he  evolved  out  of  the  work.  Our  faith  is  that  not 
only  the  possession  of  advantages,  hut  the  experience  and  the 

interest  that  come  from  working  for  those  advantages  are  to  he 
prized.  To  get  the  people  of  a  neighborhood  to  care  for  the 
children  of  that  neighborhood  in  their  play,  education  and 
health  ;  to  get  the  citizens  of  a  tuberculosis-infected  district  to  ri^ht 
that  disease  and  to  care  for  those  already  afflicted  and  to  protect 
those  yet  free  from  it ;  to  create  the  demand  for  and  secure  the 
establishment  of  public  places  for  amusement,  education  and  con- 
ference, st)  that  in  time  the  tenement  houses  and  the  streets  and 
all  conditions  of  living  may  be  bettered — these  are  typical  of  the 
<  Guild's  aims. 

To  create  this  kind  of  activity  two  things  are  needed  :  The 
individual  who  is  enlightened  and  progressive,  and  the  ^roup 
educated  in  the  practice  of  working  together  for  social  ends. 

Every  attempt  is  made  to  help  and  to  stimulate  the  individual 
who  comes  to  the  Guild,  We  have  our  trade  classes  and  shops 
to  teach  the  girls  and  hoys  at  least  the  beginnings  of  work  which 
will  help  them  to  earn  money  and  <rive  them  interest  and  pleasure 
in  the  kind  of  work  they  do.  For  the  older  men  there  are  classes 
such  as  will  help  them  either  to  get  into  civil  service  positions 
or  assist  them  to  advance  themselves  into  the  upper  ranks  of 
the  skilled  trades.  There  is,  however,  no  duplication  of  public 
education,  but  an  attempt  rather  to  do  special  training  and  to  sup- 
plement what  is  done  in  other  places. 

By  a  series  of  concerts  and  picture  exhibitions  some  of  the 


16 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


more  beautiful  things  of  life  are  brought  into  the  neighborhood. 

Our  chief  reliance,  however,  is  placed  on  what  might  be  called        The  place  of 

, .  .,  .  ...  the  story 

the  story  telling.  Beginning  with  the  little  children  in  the  library 
and  ending  with  the  older  men  of  the  house,  there  is  for  each  age 
and  group  a  series  of  stories,  biographies,  histories  and  dramas 
presented  to  the  clubs  and  classes.  These  are  selected  not  with 
the  idea  of  teaching  history  or  literature,  but  for  the  purpose  of 
throwing  light  upon  and  creating  interest  about  the  problems  that  the 
various  groups  are  meeting.  It  is,  I  think,  indicative  of  the  nature 
of  this  work  that  no  summer  night  is  too  hot  to  find  a  group  of 
men  willing  to  read  and  discuss  the  problems  raised  by  some  of 
the  more  serious  dramas.  During  the  past  year  one  such  group, 
after  having  read  practically  all  the  plays  of  Shakespeare  during 
previous  years,  has  read  much  of  Ibsen  and  Galsworthy,  the 
interest  in  the  discussion  keeping  them  well  on  toward  midnight. 
In  this  way  the  attempt  is  made  to  fill  up  gaps  in  education 
and  to  stimulate  the  individuals  to  greater  efficiency  in  their  own 
work  and  to  a  knowledge  of  some  of  the  great  ideas  that  have 
moved  and  are  moving  the  thoughts  of  men. 

Much  is  made  of  biography  to  bring  the  minds  of  the  growing 

&     '    J  "  b  o  The  use  of 

girls  and  bovs  into  contact  with  the  thoughts  that  have  dominated  biographies 
the  lives  of  heroic,  wise  and  generous  men  and  women,  and  to  let 
them  know  of  the  actions  which  have  resulted  from  these  ideas. 
This  is  bound  to  quicken  the  finer  impulses  that  so  often  lie  dor- 
mant through  life.  It  may  be  said  that  so  far  as  the  ideals  of  our 
house  go,  Abraham  Lincoln  is  the  presiding  genius.  The  attempt 
is  made  to  give  every  girl  and  every  boy  a  clear  knowledge  and 
as  much  of  the  spirit  of  Lincoln  as  pictures,  quotations,  books  and 
discussions  can  give.  From  Socrates  to  Colonel  Waring,  from 
Joan  of  Arc  to  Josephine  Shaw  Lowell,  the  endeavor  is  to  in- 
voke the  presence  and  influence  of  the  fine  personalities ;  while 
through  the  shops,  the  trade  classes  and  the  work  for  the  District 
Committee,  the  endeavor  is  always  present  to  stimulate  the  indi- 
vidual to  improve  himself  and  the  surrounding  conditions.  The 

17 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Group  work 


An  instance  of 
co-operation 


dominating  note  is  to  be  found  in  the  spiritual  side  of  social  reform. 

Secondly,  in  the  group  work  the  chief  purpose  is  to  give  the 
individuals  the  aims  and  practices  of  co-operative  enterprise*. 
While  every  community  will  depend  for  its  advancement  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  on  the  fine  individuals,  it  will  also  be  benefited  if  the 
rank  and  file  of  its  members  are  in  the  habit  of  working  together 
in  a  good  way  for  fine  things.  The  clubs  of  the  Hudson  (iuild 
endeavor  to  give  this.  The  groups  naturally  form  themselves 
according  to  age,  sex  and  congeniality.  Each  has  its  self-consti- 
tuted form  of  organization  and  its  program,  which  embraces  athletic 
and  social  amusements  and  certain  educational  features ;  each 
is  strongly  urged  to  take  up  some  one  piece  of  social  work,  and  the 
attempt  is  always  made  to  have  every  club  dointr  something  for 
the  house  or  for  the  community.  While  not  one  of  the  groups  is 
willing  to  be  preached  to,  most  of  them  are  ready  enough  to  take 
up  a  piece  of  work  which  is  clearly  presented  to  them.  The  en- 
deavor is  always  made  to  suggest  aims  which  are  as  concrete  as 
possible,  and  to  keep  away  from  the  theoretical  and  abstract. 

Perhaps  the  most  difficult  enterprise  in  which  the  Hudson 
Guild  and  its  friends  were  ever  en^a^ed  was  that  of  carrying  on  a 
bazaar.  The  purpose  was  to  meet  a  deficit  for  the  summer,  and 
instead  of  simply  applying  to  the  friends  of  the  (iuild  or  of  having 
the  people  of  the  immediate  neighborhood  make  the  effort  by 
themselves,  the  two  groups  were  brought  together  to  work  for  a 
common  purpose.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  is  rare  indeed  that 
different  classes  in  society  ever  in  any  way  become  co-workers  for 
a  single  purpose  ;  usually  there  is  a  directing  and  a  working  class. 
While  it  may  seem  to  some  that  to  conduct  a  fair  is  not  in  itself  a 
very  inspiring  thing,  the  sight  of  different  social  groups  working 
together  side  by  side,  not  for  each  other  but  with  each  other,  was 
as  fine  and  inspiring  as  it  was  unusual.  The  ordinary  social  re- 
former's attitude  is  either  to  deny  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
class  distinction  or  take  the  side  of  one  class  or  the  other  and  in- 
sist that  all  the  virtue  is  in  one  camp.    It  seemed  to  those  in  the 


18 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Guild  that  the  best  way  was  to  admit  frankly  the  complexity  of  the 
problem  and  to  attempt  to  find  the  way  out  by  recognizing  the 
distinctions,  and  make  the  attempt  at  a  better  understanding  by 
stimulating  common  enterprises  embracing  different  sets  of  people. 
Fine  individuals  can  be  found  in  every  class  who  work  well  with 
any  other  class,  but  to  get  large  groups  to  come  together  and  work 
in  harmony  for  common  aims  is  a  much  more  difficult  matter  and 
has  a  much  more  beneficial  and  far-reaching  result. 

At  first  social  enterprises  are  set  going  in  the  club,  then  The  Guild  as  a 
in  the  house,  then  in  the  neighborhood,  then  in  the  city.  socla  'eavener 
Hudson  Guild  has  been  an  increasingly  active  factor  in  the 
promotion  of  neighborhood  and  sometimes  city  enterprises.  The 
purpose  of  the  Guild  is  not  to  put  one  person  to  doing  one  thing, 
but  to  attempt  to  be  the  yeast  which  starts  the  social  rising.  Our 
theory  is  that  in  everyone  there  is  the  making  of  a  good  citizen, 
and  the  best  way  to  make  him  a  good  citizen  is  to  bring  him  in 
contact  with  others  doing  social  work  and  to  enlist  his  activities  so 
that  he  may  learn  through  doing.  The  various  subdivisions  of  the 
following  report  will  give  an  indication  of  the  way  that  method 
works  out. 

The  Hudson  Guild  is  a  fact  and  not  a  theory.  In  a  neigh- 
borhood so  long  disadvantaged,  so  little  used  to  co-operative  activ- 
ities that  the  first  attempts  are  likely  to  be  misunderstood  and 
abortive,  a  social  center  has  been  maintained  which  is  in  its  very 
nature  as  well  as  in  its  form  co-operative  and  democratic.  We 
have  gone  ahead  year  by  year  making  trial  of  different  plans  all 
directed  toward  one  aim.  While  there  have  been  discourage- 
ments, there  have  been  yet  greater  encouragements.  We  can 
fairly  say  that  there  are  very  many  men  and  women  in  this  neigh- 
borhood who  are  earning  more  money  ;  many  in  better  health  ; 
many  who  are  much  happier;  and  a  considerable  number  of  indi- 
viduals and  of  groups  who  have  caught  the  spirit  of  a  better  way 
of  working  and  playing  together,  and  who  are  learning  and  so 
teaching  a  better  way  of  living  in  a  city. 

19 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Indifference  to  one's  neighbor  and  one's  community,  the  sins 
of  omission,  are  being  fought  every  day.  The  little  children  are 
encouraged  to  assist  their  elders,  the  younger  clubs  to  support  the 
older  clubs  in  a  common  effort  for  better  things. 

"The  peoples  lack  faith,"  said  Mazzini.  They  lack  faith  be- 
cause they  do  not  recognize  that  they  have  power.  Give  them  the 
power  to  help,  let  them  see  that  they  too  are  upon  a  road  leading 
to  a  definite  and  shining  goal,  and  they  are  sure  to  move  forward. 

lijtstnry  nf  th*  (guild 

The  history  of  Hudson  Guild  has  two  sides — one  of  purpose, 
the  other  of  realization. 

The  purpose  at  the  beginning  was  little  more  than  an  almost 
blind  social  impulse  and  desire  on  the  part  of  those  beginning  the 
work  to  he  of  service  in  some  way,  and  the  actual  beginning 
of  the  work  was  one  club,  with  a  membership  of  eight  boys. 
Five  years  ago,  ten  years  after  the  organization  of  this  first  club, 
there  were  between  500  and  600  people  using  the  Guild  ;  to-day 
there  are  2, 0<>0.  The  Juntos,  the  senior  club,  had  45  members; 
to-day  it  has  IAS.  The  kindergarten  attendance  was  30  ;  the  winter 
of  1909-10  saw  93  children  in  our  kindergarten  rooms  ;  the  average 
yearly  attendance  was  70.  The  same  steady  growth  is  found  in 
the  other  clubs  and  classes  of  the  boys  and  tfirls,  and  men  and 
women. 

The  thought  side  of  any  movement  has  its  history  and  devel- 
opment just  as  much  as  it  has  a  record  of  events. 

These  two  elements  during  the  past  fifteen  years  have  grown 
into  a  fairly  articulated  scheme  of  neighborhood  betterment,  the 
practical  side  of  a  working  organization  of  which  the  present  re- 
port is  a  description. 

There  have  been  no  sudden  changes  in  any  aspect ;  the  work 
and  those  carrying  it  on  have  gone  ahead  day  by  day,  year  by  year, 

20 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


in  a  somewhat  opportunistic  fashion,  and  yet  there  has  been,  al- 
most from  the  beginning,  a  tendency  toward  growth  and  thought 
— attempting  to  realize  distinctively  American  and  democratic 
ideals.  It  may  be  said  that  for  these  ideals  the  Trustees  and,  so  far 
as  they  were  capable  of  realizing  them  all,  the  clubs  have  worked 
steadily. 

In  the  first  boys'  club  that  was  started,  in  the  spring  of  1895,  in  The  first 

a  single  room  on  West  Twenty-fifth  street,  there  was  perhaps  very  boys  club 

little  to  give  promise  of  anything  that  was  encouraging.  Neither 
those  responsible  for  the  inception  of  the  undertaking  nor  the 
boys  themselves  had  any  notion  of  proper  activities  or  proper 
methods  of  control.  There  were  the  same  hours  of  idleness,  the 
same  disturbances,  the  same  irritations  that  invariably  mark  the 
beginnings  of  such  undertakings.  There  was  no  equipment  of 
any  kind  which  would  lead  to  activities  save  those  of  amusement, 
and  those  of  a  very  desultory  kind.  When  a  small  boys'  club  was 
formed  it  met  with  great  objections  from  the  big  boys  because  it  was 
beneath  their  dignity  to  be  seen  in  the  same  clubhouse  with 
"kids,"  and  the  initial  and  perhaps  the  great  obstacle  was  met 
when  one  group  was  induced  to  be  generous  toward  another. 

The  difficulties  with  other  tenants  occupying  the  same  house 
with  a  boys'  club  soon  made  themselves  very  evident  and  the 
little  organization  was  removed  to  a  small  cottage  on  West  Twentv- 
seventh  street,  almost  opposite  the  place  where  the  Guild  house 
now  stands.  The  occupations  were  very  desultory,  the  only  even- 
ings of  particular  note  being  those  on  which  young  men  who  had 
had  the  opportunities  of  study  and  travel  came  down  to  tell  their 
experiences  in  various  countries  and  in  different  schools.  There 
was  noticeable  the  grouping  together  of  the  young  men  to  fight 
those  who  were  trying  to  "boss"  them  in  the  matter  of  order  and 
discipline.  The  notion  of  an  agreement  in  purpose,  then  leaving 
each  party  to  work  out  its  own  methods  of  attaining  that  purpose, 
had  not  yet  been  adopted.  The  little  cottage  having  been  out- 
grown, a  three-story  house  became  the  headquarters.    It  was  at 

21 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


tli is  time,  mure  than  a  year  after  the  beginning  of  the  work,  that 
the  first  steps  were  taken  toward  installing  the  Trustees  and  incor- 
The  Haven         porating  the  institution.    Two  new  features  were  also  added  in 
^njd^arten       this  year— the  Haven  Kindergarten— the  first  attempt  to  reach  the 
Children's  Guild  little  children,  and  the  work  of  the  Children's  Guild,  which  under- 
took classes  in  domestic  science  and  instituted  clubs  for  the 
younger  girls.     The  Children's  Guild  was  the  first  enterprise  in 
which  anything  like  teaching  was  attempted.    It  may  be  said  that 
the  rest  of  the  Guild  work  has  been  a  growth  of  these  enterprises, 
very  many  of  the  Guild  members  of  that  day  being  the  mainstay 
"f  the  clubs  and  classes  at  the  present  time. 

The  next  move  was  into  a  somewhat  larger  house  in  West 
Twenty-sixth  street.  This  was  the  only  time  when  there  was  a 
resident  at  the  Guild  house,  always  before  and  since  those  con- 
nected officially  with  the  work  living  in  the  neighborhood  but  not 
in  the  house. 

As  the  general  scheme  of  activities  had  taken  shape  the  year 
before  so  through  the  next  three  or  four  years  the  general  plan  of 
government  was  developed.  The  child  from  the  kindergarten  had 
grown  up  into  the  afternoon  club — the  girls  of  the  Children's  Guild 
had  become  wage  earners  and  were  formed  into  evening  clubs. 
The  original  men's  club,  while  somewhat  changed,  became  the 
main  part  of  the  membership  and  a  number  of  evening  boys'  clubs 
were  admitted.  The  Council  was  formed,  the  work  of  the  Dis- 
trict Committee  inaugurated.  The  membership  grew  from  the 
first  meeting  of  a  dozen  boys  into  a  house  teeming  with  men, 
women  and  children  of  all  ages.  The  activities  had  developed 
from  games  of  cards  and  pool  into  the  athletic,  social,  educa- 
tional and  philanthropic  programs.  The  spirit  of  the  place  had 
grown  from  the  natural  mischief-making,  grafting  attitude  into  a 
better  feeling,  often  manifesting  itself  in  ways  of  order,  persistent 
plodding — sometimes  blossoming  out  into  acts  of  real  generosity 
and  wise  helpfulness. 

The  conditions  under  which  the  work  was  being  done  were  a 


11 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


handicap  to  its  proper  progress,  so  that  the  necessity  was  felt  for 

possessing  a  home.    The  funds  were  secured  during  the  years  of  The  new 

Guild  house 

1906-7,  and  the  property  was  acquired.  In  1908  the  present 
Guild  house  was  erected — a  five-story  brick  building,  equipped 
with  library,  class  rooms,  club  rooms,  printshop,  carpentry  shop, 
nurse's  room,  baths,  etc.  It  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  thickly 
populated  neighborhood — a  neighborhood  of  run-down  tenements, 
some  of  them  really  unfit  for  people  to  live  in.  To  all  these 
people  the  Guild  is  the  "clubhouse" — the  meeting  place  for 
young  and  old.  The  site  chosen  was  opposite  Chelsea  Park, 
which  is  the  center  for  the  West  Side  neighborhood.  The  cost  of 
the  property  and  building  was  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  of  which  forty  thousand  dollars  still  remains  on  mortgage. 

The  summer  work  has  always  been  an  important  adjunct  of  Felicia 
the  Guild  work,  providing  as  it  does  an  intimate  relationship  be- 
tween teachers  and  children  for  a  protracted  period.  The  children 
have  been  sent  to  various  places  and  the  major  portion  enjoy  their 
vacation  at  "Felicia,"  Mountainville,  Orange  County,  New  York, 
where,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Young  Men's  Union  of  the  Society 
for  Ethical  Culture,  a  fresh  air  home  for  children  is  maintained. 
The  incalculable  value  of  sustained  companionship  for  two  weeks 
in  the  country  has  been  a  great  factor  in  strengthening  the  friend- 
ship between  child  and  child  and  between  child  and  teacher. 

As  to  the  thought  side,  the  purpose  of  the  Guild  as  it  stands 
is  indicated  in  the  general  statement  given  elsewhere  in  this  report. 
This,  too,  has  been  the  result  of  growth  and  development ;  what- 
ever good  is  in  it  has  been  the  outcome  of  the  thought  and 
experiences  of  many  persons. 

The  Guild  as  constituted  is  governed  by  three  co-ordinate 
bodies  :  Trustees,  representing  generally  friends  and  contributors 
to  the  work  ;  workers,  representing  those  who  have  dedicated 
their  lives  to  social  service  and  are  the  real  dynamic  force  of  the 
work  ;  and  the  Council,  which  represents  the  people  in  the  neigh- 
borhood affected.    The  Trustees,  who  in  the  last  analysis  are  the 

23 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


parties  charged  with  the  responsibility  of  the  permanence  of  the 
work,  leave  the  actual  operation  of  the  activities  of  the  Guild  house 
to  those  who  are  fitted  for  such  work.  They  may  suggest  policies, 
but  the  practical  application  of  their  ideas  are  often  modified  and 
always  put  into  execution  by  the  two  other  co-ordinate  bodies. 
For  fifteen  years  they  have  followed  a  plan  of  conference  with  all 
parties.  Where,  at  times,  the  people  in  the  neighborhood  have 
not  been  participants  in  the  work,  interest  on  their  part  has  flagged 
and  the  danger  of  mutual  irritation  was  engendered.  Through  the 
years  there  has  come,  however,  a  better  policy,  a  more  trustful 
spirit,  which  is  perhaps  the  thing  to  be  most  prized  at  the  Hudson 
Guild,  those  in  different  classes,  employers  and  employed,  those 
having  different  degrees  of  education  and  culture,  working  side  by 
side  for  common  aims.  It  is  impossible  to  trace  this  development 
through  dates  and  in  various  localities.  It  has  been  a  light  slowly 
coming,  but  it  has  brought  with  it  a  faith  in  democracy,  a  sense  of 
fraternity  that  is  far  and  away  the  best  of  any  contribution  that 
may  have  been  made. 


©he  Hork  with  the  inga 

The  boys  come  to  us  generally  with  groups  already  formed 
they  live  on  the  same  block,  go  to  the  same  school  or  belong  to 
the  same  gang.  The  group  lines  are  sharply  drawn  and  they  have 
in  them  the  various  elements  which  make  alike  for  good  or  bad, 
depending  on  how  these  elements  are  developed.  The  gang  spirit 
is  strong ;  they  are  loyal  to  each  other  and  to  their  group.  We 
have  this  to  build  upon,  even  though  it  be  alloyed  with  meaner 
traits.  There  is  almost  always  a  leader,  who  has  earned  his  place 
variously  :  with  his  fists,  by  his  natural  qualifications  for  leader- 
ship, by  his  daring  or,  most  rarely,  by  his  genial  disposition  and  a 
knack  for  doing  the  right  thing.    This  may  mean  in  the  other  boys 


24 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


a  lack  of  independence,  an  unwillingness  to  proceed  without  the     Composition  of 

...  .  ...  ,-i  r  r  tne  groups 

leader  s  sanction,  a  cowardliness  that  is  destructive  of  any  sort  of 
democracy.  There  is  in  this  gang  spirit,  also,  the  unwillingness 
of  boys  to  stand  out  against  the  majority,  through  the  fear  of 
making  "bad  friends."  When  a  rare  individual  is  found  who  has 
the  backbone  to  oppose  the  group,  that  is  a  boy  who  is  to  be 
nurtured  fondly.  They  have  with  them  always  a  crude  sort  of 
organization,  a  notion  of  division  of  labor,  which  may  manifest 


"all  those  in  favor!" 
itself  in  teamwork  on  the  baseball  diamond  or  in  one  boy's  divert- 
ing the  attention  of  the  Italian  at  the  fruitstand  while  the  others 
help  themselves  to  the  fruit. 

This  is  a  rather  general  statement  of  the  situation  that  con- 
fronts us  in  handling  groups  of  boys.  They  are  nearly  all  alike  ; 
the  absence  of  the  "unco  guid  "  is  conspicuous.  The  problem  is 
first  to  recognize  and  mark  out  distinctly  the  force  of  the  elements 

25 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


present  and  then  to  proceed  to  develop  their  tendencies  for  good 
along  lines  which  will  eventually  prove  more  attractive  than  their 
mischievous  bent.  The  group  loyalty  is  crystallized  in  the  club 
organization,  in  which  the  boys  receive  their  first  notions  of  self- 
Assimiiation  government.  They  make  their  own  rules,  are  taught  to  manage 
their  own  meetings,  handle  their  own  money,  elect  their  own  offi- 
cers. Loyalty  to  their  club  and  its  best  interests  supersedes  loy- 
alty to  the  gang.  Soon  loyalty  to  the  Guild  develops  through 
their  association  with  other  clubs,  in  teamwork  in  sport,  minstrel 
shows,  country  trips,  etc.,  and  then  the  task  is  so  to  present  fine 
things  as  to  win  their  loyalty  for  them. 
The  adviaer  s  All  l'ie  clubs  meet  with  an  adviser.    His  function  is  to  learn 

task  first  enduring  patience  under  discouraging  conditions;    to  see 

through  it  all  what  it  is  that  he  wants  the  club  to  stand  for,  and 
above  all  things  to  refrain  from  giving  way  to  the  pressure  that 
will  enable  him  to  be  the  boss.  He  must  efface  himself  from  the 
active  management  of  the  club,  but  from  the  background,  with 
advice  and  suggestion,  and  infinite  persistence,  he  must  work  with 
the  boys  until  they  do  the  things  he  wants  them  to  do,  but  only 
because  they  are  willing  to  do  them,  because  they  believe  they  are 
the  right  things  to  do.  The  personal  element  must  not  be  obtruded  ; 
for  when  a  line  of  action  is  decided  upon  the  results  are  more 
natural  and  more  durable,  infinitely  more  desirable,  when  the 
boys  do  it  for  other  reasons  than  simply  to  please  their  adviser. 

What  we  aim  to  do  is  to  give  them  a  training  that  will 
overcome  the  influences  of  a  peculiarly  pernicious  environment, 
that  will  negative  the  effect  of  the  vicious  neighborhood  gangs  and 
give  them  better  standards  than  prevail  in  our  section  of  a  graft- 
ridden  city ;  and  to  make  such  a  contribution  to  their  economic 
efficiency  as  will  remove  them  in  later  life  from  the  temptation  to 
recede  from  these  standards,  which  is  inevitable  to  the  poorly  edu- 
cated, poorly  equipped  struggler  for  the  bare  means  of  existence. 
Economic  conditions  and  citizenship  are  more  closely  related  than 
comfortably  situated  people  recognize. 


26 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


The  means  we  use  to  bring  about  these  ends  are  various.  All 
the  boys  belong  to  the  clubs  and  receive  instruction  in  the  practice 
of  self-government.  This,  however,  is  not  sufficient ;  unless  some- 
thing else  be  brought  in,  repeated  business  meetings  are  dry  and 
soon  lose  interest.  To  rill  this  need  we  tell  stories,  discuss  various 
topics  which  are  related  to  the  boys'  own  daily  experiences, 
and  through  short  biographies,  of  heroes,  self-made  men,  men 
who  have  made  good  in  various  fields,  we  strive  to  set  before  them 
ideals  that  are  stimulating  and  not  too  far  removed  from  their 
abilities  and  condition. 

The  stories  give  the  best  opportunity  to  inculcate  in  the  minds  How 
of  the  boys  what  may  he  called  the  cardinal  virtues — courage,  loy- 
alty, sacrifice,  friendship,  integrity,  truthfulness,  generosity,  etc. 
They  are  selected  with  two  ideas  in  view — they  must  be  of  grip- 
ping interest  and  carry  with  them  the  illustration  of  the  point  we 
wish  to  make.  The  "moral"  must  not  be  too  apparent — rather 
it  is  better  that  it  be  kept  in  the  background,  for  then  by  judicious 
questioning  the  boys  are  led  to  analyze  the  stories  and  find  out 
just  what  they  mean.  When  they  discover  the  point  for  them- 
selves the  experience  is  much  more  real  and  lasting. 

The  range  of  stories  is  wide  ;  classic  literature,  the  Bible, 
mythology,  the  fables,  the  epics,  Shakespeare,  Kipling,  fragments 
of  history  and  the  daily  newspapers  all  furnish  their  quota.  They 
are  arranged  according  to  the  ages  of  the  boys  to  whom  they  are 
told,  though  frequently  the  same  stories,  told  in  a  slightly  different 
way,  are  used  for  all.  "Damon  and  Pythias"  may  be  told  to 
young  and  old;  "The  Fight  with  the  Cannon,"  with  its  intensely 
dramatic  situations  and  startling  conclusion,  can  be  used  only  for 
boys  twelve  and  over.  "  The  Hero  of  Battle  Row,"  a  story  which 
we  developed  from  a  newspaper  report  in  1907,  is  the  best  illus- 
tration we  know  of  to  show  the  meanness  of  race  prejudice  ; 
"Every  Inch  a  King,"  based  upon  Prince  Harry  of  Monmouth 
and  his  difficulty  with  Chief  Justice  Gascoigne,  introducing  the 
bluff  Jack  Falstaff,  is  a  story  that  never  fails  of  response,  and  the 


27 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


boys  invariably  discover  the  points — loyalty,  obedience  to  law  and 
unswerving  devotion  to  duty. 

These,  of  course,  are  but  a  few  stories  taken  at  random  from 
our  stock,  but  they  will  indicate  the  way  in  which  we  drive  home 
necessary  truths  without  preaching.    The  older  boys  have  more 

More  serious       serious  discussions,  though  they  are  not  of  the  debating  type. 

work  Topics  of  present  interest,  public  affairs,  their  future  positions,  the 

merits  of  the  different  high  school  curricula,  sportsmanship,  etc., 
give  them  the  opportunity  of  giving  expression  to  what  is  latent 
in  their  minds  and  thus  clinching  their  opinions.  Though  they  are 
too  self-conscious  for  formal  debating,  they  nevertheless  thor- 
oughly examine  a  subject  when  it  is  introduced  and  show  how 
keenly  they  really  do  think  when  they  are  under  pressure.  Here 
we  touch  u]M)n  our  chief  neighborhood  difficulty — unwillingness  to 
think  things  out.  It  is  only  when  they  are  forcefully  stimulated 
that  they  will  consent  to  study  a  problem,  and  when,  after  long 
prodding,  we  find  that  they  are  willing  to  assume  the  initiative  we 
are  proud,  as  of  a  great  victory. 

Nor  are  the  stories  and  the  discussions  all  ;  every  boy  is  urged 
to  join  a  class — literature,  carpentry  or  printing — and  there  again 
we  try  to  impress  him.  In  the  shopwork  he  gets  at  least  the  rudi- 
ments of  a  trade.  Recognizing  that  the  ordinary  carpentry 
course  is  mere  play,  we  have  given  such  instruction  in  the  use  of 
tools  and  straight-line  work,  with  attention  to  accuracy  and  finish, 
that  the  boy  must  necessarily  benefit  hereafter,  whether  he  be  a 
carpenter  or  a  bookkeeper.  The  ideals  of  thoroughness  in  work- 
manship, of  performing  any  task  "right  up  to  the  handle,"  can 
be  taught  in  a  shop  as  well  as  anywhere  ;  and  every  boy  takes 
awav  with  him  at  least  the  knowledge  that  there  is  only  one  right 
wray  to  do  a  job.  The  printshop  training  is  more  advanced  and 
leads  to  more  immediate  results.  Thoroughness  is  the  watchword 
here  also,  and  the  instruction  is  of  benefit  to  every  boy,  whether 
or  not  he  enters  the  printer's  craft.  Every  boy  belongs  to  the 
gymnasium,  where  we  try  to  do  for  his  body  and  his  habits  what 
we  aim  to  do  for  his  mind  and  his  character. 


28 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


The  foregoing  is  a  fair  outline  of  what  is  done  for  and  with 
the  boys.  It  does  not,  however,  take  into  account  the  things  the 
boys  do  for  themselves  and  for  others.  Some  of  the  youngsters 
are  District  Committee  captains,  and  they  report  violations  of  the 
tenement  house  and  sanitary  laws  to  the  chairman  of  that  com- 
mittee, who  has  frequently  been  amazed  by  the  unexpected  intel- 
ligence and  accuracy  of  the  complaints.  Frequently  they  give 
money  to  aid  special  cases — a  little  girl  consumptive,  a  destitute 
family,  etc.  At  Thanksgiving  time  and  at  Christmas  they  draw 
upon  their  meager  treasuries  to  buy  a  dinner  for  a  poorer  family 
or  toys  for  some  fatherless  children.  Most  of  the  clubs  joined 
in  buying  type  for  the  printshop  when  some  was  needed  recently, 
and  altogether  they  are  encouragingly  prompt  in  helping  when 
they  are  able  and  appreciate  the  need. 

There  are  five  printing  classes  for  boys,  one  every  afternoon 
but  Saturday  ;  four  carpentry  classes,  and  gymnasium  classes 
every  day  but  Thursday.  With  our  arrangement  of  the  boys' 
time  they  can  spend  every  afternoon  but  Saturday  and  Sunday  at 
the  Guild,  doing  some  useful  or  enjoyable  thing. 

Our  whole  plan  centers  on  the  idea  of  so  influencing  the  boys 
that  they  can  rise  superior  to  their  trammeling  surroundings  and 
stay  above  them  because  they  have  been  taught  to  appreciate  a 
finer  thing  and  because  they  find  a  finer  companionship. 

Though  the  emphasis  is  laid  upon  the  group,  nevertheless 
there  is  abundant  opportunity  to  work  with  the  individual,  and  we 
endeavor  to  make  good  use  of  it.  After  all,  our  whole  idea  is  to 
train  the  boys  for  social  usefulness,  and  when  we  find  one  who  is 
willing  to  make  some  little  sacrifice  for  his  club  or  the  house  we 
try  to  make  him  see  how  really  necessary  such  actions  are  for  the 
well-being  of  the  organization  to  which  he  belongs.  All  the  boys 
are  urged  to  work  individually  for  their  club's  welfare  and  their 
loyalty  finds  positive  expression  in  such  work. 

This  account  of  our  work  will  show  that  we  approach  the  boys 
from  every  vantage  point,  and  we  feel  that  surely  some  tangible 
results  must  be  secured  from  even  the  least  responsive. 


What  the  boys 
do  themselves 


Working  with 
the  individual 


29 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


She  £tt*ttittg  (Huba  for  Smja 


Neighborhood 
character  and 
standards 


Many  of  the  boys,  after  having  been  members  of  the  after- 
noon clubs  for  years,  upon  going  to  work  or  to  high  school  join 
the  evening  clubs,  thus  giving  us  an  opportunity  to  carry  further 
the  work  we  have  already  begun.  While  the  plan  is  very  similar, 
the  members  of  the  evening  clubs  have  still  greater  freedom  of 
action,  are  thrown  still  more  upon  their  own  responsibility.  Though 
a  fair  part  of  the  evening  membership  have  been  in  the  Guild  as 
boys,  the  greater  part  have  not  They  come  in  groups,  as  with 
the  younger  boys,  but  considering  that  they  have  had  no  previous 
club  experience  and  are  less  tractable,  coupled  with  the  fact  that 
they  are  actually  self-governing,  the  problem  is  more  complicated. 
They  are  recruited  from  the  neighborhood  and  come  in  because 
a  "club"  is  the  natural  thing  for  them.  They  would  have  rooms 
elsewhere,  but  the  cost  of  maintenance  is  so  great  that  this  is  not 
feasible,  so  they  come  to  the  Guild,  where  nominal  rents  make  it 
possible  for  them  to  maintain  their  own  organization. 

In  character  the  best  that  may  be  said  of  them  is  negative. 
Education  is  rare  ;  they  have  no  definite  standards  for  living  and 
are  rather  the  sort  that  simply  trail  along,  doing  what  everyone 
else  does.  Now  this  last  is  a  positive  evil  in  districts  such  as  ours. 
The  least  objectionable  of  the  neighborhood  standards  are  poor 
and  pitiful,  never  by  any  chance  challenging  the  finer  sides  of 
their  natures.  It  is  every  man  for  himself ;  they  have  no  heroes 
beyond  a  successful  boxer  or  ballplayer.  Their  ideas  of  a  "good 
time,"  while  various,  are  most  generally  foolish  when  not  posi- 
tively destructive.  Crapshooting  is  a  most  popular  diversion;  it 
is  considered  no  great  honor  to  hold  a  steady  job,  but  rather  it  is 
more  the  thing  to  "chuck  up  and  loaf  for  the  summer"  ;  they  are 
improvident ;  in  many  cases  the  saloon  takes  their  earnings,  and 
drunkenness  is  pathetically  frequent.  They  are  subject  to  all  the 
grosser  temptations  usual  to  the  young  man,  and  a  serious  prob- 


30 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


lem  is  to  put  before  them  convincingly  the  dangers  incident  to  the 
virulence  of  unrestrained  sex  instinct. 

Over  against  these  characteristics  may  be  set  the  fact  that  A  better 

they  are  well-meaning  youth,  never  positively  bad,  and  they  have  side 
with  them  always  the  saving  social  grace  of  fraternity.  It  is  the 
natural  bent  of  the  young  man,  whether  he  be  in  college  or  on 
Tenth  avenue,  to  belong  to  a  fraternity — be  it  Greek  letter  or 
neighborhood  club.  With  this  tendency  to  work  upon,  gradually 
by  enlisting  their  interest  in  their  club,  in  their  various  athletic 
teams,  in  self-improvement,  in  house  and  neighborhood  activities, 
we  are  enabled  to  check  in  large  measure  the  waste  of  their  lives, 
and  by  giving  them  something  positive  and  fine  to  stand  for  to 
awaken  in  them  the  germ  of  self-respect.  Their  hearts,  their 
minds  and  their  lives  are  plastic,  and  we  hope  to  mold  them  into 
their  finest  shape,  so  that  when  they  take  their  enduring  form  they 
will  be  better  for  having  been  with  us. 

Their  activities  are   many  and  varied :    Athletics,  dances,  .  .. 

J  '  '  Activities 

dinners,  entertainments,  "blowouts";  committee  work,  both 
club  and  Council ;  the  management  of  the  athletic  association, 
running  meets  and  competing  with  the  various  teams ;  classes, 
talks,  discussions  and  reading  afford  a  wide  range  for  their  interest, 
and  anyone  who  really  enters  into  our  scheme  has  enough  to  do 
to  keep  him  from  the  meaner  temptations  of  outside  life. 

Their  clubs  are  absolutely  self-governing  ;  through  the  Clubs' 
Council  they  govern  the  house,  taking  care  of  the  order,  enter- 
tainments, concerts,  dances  and  the  various  athletic  affairs.  Their 
management  of  the  athletic  association,  a  huge  undertaking,  is 
admirable.  They  have  created  a  standard  of  clean  sport  that  is 
surpassed  by  none,  and  challenged  only  by  the  English  idea  of 
sportsmanship.  There  are  in  their  athletic  record  numerous 
instances  in  which  they  have  lost  games  when  taking  an  advantage 
of  a  technicality  or  playing  an  ineligible  man  would  have  brought 
victory.  The  credit  for  this  goes  to  the  older  members,  who  from 
years  of  experience  have  decided  that  clean  victory  is  the  only 
kind  worth  while. 


31 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Stories  of  a  more  advanced  nature  ;  Shakespearean  play  read- 
ing, occasional  entertainments,  discussion  of  matters  bearing  on 
their  work  or  major  interests,  political  discussions,  talks  on  topics 
of  the  day,  etc.,  are  the  more  serious  diversions  of  their  meetings. 
While  they  will  not,  as  a  rule,  attend  evening  school,  we  have 
been  successful  in  getting  them  to  take  up  with  us  studies  for  their 
own  advancement.  A  bookkeeping  class,  lasting  only  a  few 
months,  induced  several  members  to  pursue  the  subject  of  ac- 
counting in  the  evening  high  schools,  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  classes 
and  at  New  York  University. 

The  printing  shop  has  attracted  some  of  them,  classes  being 
held  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday  nights.  Two  members  were 
the  first  instructors  in  the  shop.  A  stenography  class,  which  will 
resume  shortly,  has  fitted  several  of  them  for  good  positions.  A 
coaching  class  offered  instruction  in  arithmetic,  algebra,  trigo- 
nometry, plan  reading  and  mechanics— and  this  class  grew  spon- 
Civii  service        taneously,  and  not  from  our  efforts.    Civil  service  coaching  goes 

coaching  an        ((|)  foefore  aj]  important  examinations,  and  there  are  many  mem- 
important  ' 
feature  bers  who  now  hold  positions  in  the  municipal,  state  and  United 

States  services.  The  first  class,  consisting  of  eight  members,  have 
all  secured  positions.  They  have  come  to  know  that  they  can 
receive  the  proper  coaching  for  any  position  free  of  charge  at 
Hudson  Guild,  and  that  if  they  do  their  work  they  are  practically- 
sure  of  appointment :  and  while  teaching  them  we  try  to  instil  in 
their  minds  the  service  due  the  gov  ernment  and  remove  the  im- 
pression that  a  civil  position  must  be  treated  as  a  sinecure. 

A  group  of  young  fellows  studied  "Macbeth"  and  "Julius 
Caesar"  during  the  winter,  and  were  enthusiastic  over  them. 
They  read  the  parts  themselves,  the  meanings  of  obscure  passages 
were  explained,  and  altogether  they  profited  largely  while  enjoy- 
ing the  work.  The  senior  club,  after  having  a  session  of  Shake- 
speare in  the  fall,  took  up  modern  plays  in  the  spring  and  summer, 
devoting  considerable  time  to  Galsworthy,  Ibsen,  Sheridan  and 
Sheldon.    The  discussions  here  were  illuminating  in  the  extreme, 


32 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


and  keen  as  were  the  points  they  made,  the  chief  good  was  in 
inducing  them  to  give  expression  to  the  thoughts  that  ordinarily 
would  never  find  utterance. 

Another  activity  in  which  they  are  engaged  is  the  giving  of  a  Smokers 
monthly  smoker,  in  which  boxing  and  vaudeville  are  the  features. 
One  must  expect  to  be  criticized  for  advocating  a  boxing  show ; 
but  the  men  of  the  neighborhood  love  it,  and  patronize  it  in  clubs 
where  brutality  and  chicanery  are  supreme.  Many  of  them  would 
never  have  entered  the  Guild  were  it  not  for  such  entertainments ; 
the  neighborhood  stock  is  strenuous,  and  there  must  be  a  virile 
appeal,  an  offer  of  vigorous  entertainment,  made  to  attract  them. 
The  boxing  is  fast  and  high-class,  but  there  never  has  been  and 
never  will  be  brutality  ;  fair  play  and  clean  work  have  been  the 
keynote,  and  that  it  has  been  successful  is  attested  by  the  present 
huge  membership  of  the  athletic  association.  The  managing  com- 
mittee consists  of  some  of  the  best  men  in  the  house,  and  their 
contact  with  this  great  membership  has  accrued  to  the  advantage 
of  the  Guild.  In  one  month  after  the  first  big  smoker  thirty-two 
men  joined  the  Junto  Club  and  are  now  active  members,  and  more 
are  joining. 

The  District  Committee  is  largely  supported  by  the  clubs  and 
the  athletic  membership  has  done  its  share,  being  chiefly  instru- 
mental in  saving  the  life  of  a  little  girl  whom  the  doctors  had  said 
would  shortly  die  from  consumption.  This  was  announced  at  a 
smoker  and  a  collection  was  thereupon  taken  up  which  paid  her  ex- 
penses in  the  mountains  during  the  summer,  and  when  she  returned 
in  the  fall  she  was  pronounced  cured. 

The  development  of  our  youth  reaches  its  climax  in  the  Junto  The  Junto 

Club,  composed  of  nearly  150  men  of  the  voting  age.  It  does 
not  enter  into  political  fights  ;  it  is  primarily  a  social  and  athletic 
club.  Yet  political  discussions  are  frequent  during  election  times, 
and  the  Legislature's  doings  are  often  talked  of.  The  tariff  fur- 
nished the  theme  for  a  splendid  informal  debate,  and  Governor 
Hughes's  race-track  measure  kept  the  members  agog  until  its 


33 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


passage.  As  has  been  mentioned,  a  splendid  literature  class  is 
conducted  in  this  club,  and  a  proof  of  its  grip  may  be  given  :  On 
a  Thursday  night  in  June  a  popular  neighborhood  boxer  was  per- 
forming at  a  local  club,  and  there  was  great  interest  in  his  match  ; 
a  dance  was  being  given  by  some  friends  of  the  Juntos,  and  the 
men  felt  that  they  should  attend.  Vet  they  stayed  in  their  rooms, 
sweltering,  reading  and  discussing  Ibsen's  "The  Enemy  of  the 
People."  To  one  who  knows  the  composition  of  the  neighborhood 
no  more  encouraging  event  has  happened  during  the  year. 

The  Juntos  furnish  most  of  the  active  volunteer  workers  of 
the  house;  head  all  the  important  committees,  help  edit  the  house 
paper,  CHELSEA,  and  manage  the  athletic  association — a  range  of 
activity  that  well  illustrates  their  ability  and  their  devotion  to  the 
Guild.  They  were  the  nucleus  of  our  organization,  being  the  first 
club  that  w:as  organized,  and  there  are  an  appreciable  number  of 
the  original  membership  left.  It  is  the  only  club  of  its  kind  that 
we  know  of,  and  we  can  be  pardoned  for  being  proud  of  it. 

We  are  far  from  having  attained  our  ideal  in  working  with 
boys  and  young  men;  but  we  are  learning  in  new  and  better  ways 
and  feel  that  we  can  go  on,  full  in  the  faith  that  our  appeal  will 
meet  with  increasingly  good  results. 

(The  iJrintshnp 

In  the  printshop  we  are  making  an  attempt  at  something  new 
in  the  field  of  industrial  education.  It  is  the  endeavor  to  give  the 
boys  a  thorough  preliminary  training  in  the  printer's  craft,  and  at 
the  same  time  through  executing  our  own  and  outside  work  to 
make  the  shop  self-supporting. 

We  began  in  October,  1908,  with  a  second-hand  equipment, 
which  included  a  fair  amount  of  type  and  one  9x  13  Favorite  press, 
foot  power.  For  six  months  the  teaching  was  done  by  two  mem- 
bers of  the  evening  clubs — Mr.  Michael  Murphy  teaching  type- 
setting and  Mr.  Alexander  Clinton  instructing  the  boys  in  press- 


34 


35 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


work.  Botli  were  employed  in  the  branches  in  which  they  gave 
instruction.  During  that  time  enough  money  was  earned  to  put 
into  the  plant  about  J1S0  in  new  type  and  other  equipment.  In 
February,  1909,  the  trustees  authorized  the  employment  of  an 
instructor  who  would  (jive  all  his  time  to  the  work.  It  was  possible 
then  to  have  greater  regularity  in  the  classes  and  the  work  pro- 
ceeded smoothly  and  encouragingly. 

A  change  was  made  in  the  fall  of  1909,  by  which  we  secured 
our  present  instructor,  Mr.  Arthur  L.  Blue.  He  came  to  the  work 
with  a  real  desire  to  help  the  boys  to  a  practical  knowledge  of  the 
craft,  which  they  could  turn  to  advantage  as  soon  as  they  left 
school  and  sought  positions.  Since  he  came  the  work  has  become 
more  systematized;  and  he  has  developed  a  course  for  his  pupils 
that  he  feels  sure,  from  his  own  printing-office  experience,  is  the 
most  desirable.  Its  chief  advantage  is  its  economy  of  the  learner's 
time — the  boy  has  nothing  to  unlearn  when  he  secures  a  position 
in  an  outside  shop. 

We  have  also  secured  by  gift  from  the  trustees  a  fine  press, 
technically  known  as  a  14  x  22  Universal,  which  enables  us  to 
handle  almost  any  kind  of  a  job,  large  or  small.  The  quality  of 
the  work  turned  out  has  been  favorably  commented  upon  by  all 
our  customers,  and  of  this  the  reader  may  judge  for  himself,  as 
this  book  was  executed  in  its  entirety  in  our  own  shop,  the  boys 
doing  their  part  in  the  work. 

The  need  of  industrial  education  has  never  been  successfully 
disputed  ;  and  the  neighborhood  in  which  we  work  is  one  that  needs 
this  sort  of  instruction  far  more  than  most  others.  The  boys  sel- 
dom go  to  high  school ;  in  fact,  many  do  not  even  graduate  from 
the  elementary  school,  procuring  working  papers  as  soon  as  they 
reach  the  prescribed  age.  They  look  about,  haphazard,  for  a  job 
of  any  kind,  and  frequently  waste  their  youth  as  errand  boys, 
helpers  or  what  not,  eventually  becoming  members  of  the  great 
mass  of  unskilled  laborers—  truckdrivers,  porters,  etc. 

The  function  of  the  printshop,  then,  is  to  give  these  boys  an 


36 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


insight  into  the  workings  of  a  trade  and,  if  they  are  fitted  to  con- 
tinue, to  train  them  so  that  they  can  secure  positions  as  apprentices 
in  any  of  the  printing  offices  in  the  city.  Even  if  the  boy  does  not 
manifest  any  extraordinary  interest  in  printing,  he  nevertheless 
gets  from  the  work  in  the  shop  a  notion  of  sustained,  systematic 
effort  and  an  ideal  of  skill  that  can  be  turned  to  advantage  in  any 
branch  of  the  industrial  field. 

Our  effort  is  too  young  to  point  to  any  long  list  of  boys  who 
have  become  printers  through  our  instruction.  Three  boys  have 
gone  into  printing  offices  from  the  class  of  1908-1909  ;  and  of  those 
who  were  members  of  the  class  of  1909-1910  at  least  six  would  be 
valuable  to  the  ordinary  printshop  were  they  ready  to  leave  school. 

The  shop  has  not  been  entirely  self-supporting,  but  it  has 
paid  at  least  five-sixths  of  its  expenses,  besides  adding  to  the 
equipment  from  time  to  time.  We  print  Chelsea,  our  house 
monthly,  all  the  stationery  and  announcements  for  the  Guild, 
club  work,  tickets,  programs,  pamphlets,  etc.,  for  customers  out- 
side the  Guild.  If  we  were  able  to  secure  more  orders  the  shop 
would  be  entirely  self-supporting. 

It  seems,  then,  that  our  experiment  can  claim  to  have  justified 
itself,  on  the  score  of  industrial  education  and  on  its  contribution 
to  the  greater  economic  efficiency  of  a  group  of  boys  who  belong 
to  the  decidedly  less  favored  class. 


(£trla'  Afternoon  (Elnba  ano  (ElaHara 

The  work  of  Hudson  Guild  with  the  children  of  school  age 
aims  in  general  to  broaden  the  vision  and  develop  the  opportu- 
nities of  each  individual  and  to  teach  the  power  of  organization  in 
making  better  the  neighborhood  life.  The  chief  tool  in  shaping 
this  work  is  direct  personal  influence. 

The  children  join  clubs  and  classes  at  the  Guild  of  their  own 
choice.    They  come  directly  from  school,  which  they  are  com- 

37 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 

pelled  to  attend,  where  discipline  must  be  rigidly  observed  and 
where  moments  must  be  considered  wasted  that  are  not  spent  in 
imparting  and  acquiring  a  prescribed  amount  of  knowledge.  The 
Guild  is,  therefore,  a  form  of  relaxation,  and  pleasure  must  form  a 
large  component  in  the  force  which  stirs  these  rather  weary 
youngsters  to  action.  That  pleasure  may  combine  with  freedom 
and  order  is  the  problem  put  to  the  tact,  sympathy,  wisdom  and 
love  of  the  many  people  who  feel  eager  to  undertake  a  share  in 
this  Guild  work. 

A  gentleness  that  is  not  a  weakness,  a  patience  that  is  not 
indifference,  a  quiet  calm  that  is  not  lack  of  inspiration,  an  eager- 
ness and  enthusiasm  that  are  founded  on  a  conviction  that  the 
occupation  one  presents  is  keenly  interesting,  is  really  of  value 
and  that  the  method  of  presenting  it  is  completely  in  the  leader's 
mind,  an  opportunist's  keen  eye  to  grasp  any  possible  suggestion 
for  improvement  in  each  individual-  these  are  some  of  the  neces- 
sary characteristics  that  make  this  direct  personal  influence  so 
tremendously  powerful  in  affecting  the  throng  of  children  that 
troop  in  at  the  (iuild  door  every  afternoon  of  the  week. 

The  activities  that  occupy  the  children  fall  into  three  groups: 
mental,  manual  and  recreative. 

Mental  work  Classes  for  help  with  school  lessons  have  been  in  existence  for 

many  years  and  closely  co-operate  with  the  schools.  There  are 
two,  which  meet  weekly  and  have  a  membership  of  about  twelve 
each. 

In  the  past  year  two  clubs  spent  part  of  each  meeting  in  read- 
ing and  discussing  stories  from  a  literary  and  dramatic  standpoint. 
One  group  of  twenty-five  cook  ap  the  study  and  preparation  to 
present  a  light  opera,  and  one  club  of  fifteen  members  studied  the 
production  of  Peter  Pan.  One  club  of  twenty  members  composed 
and  acted  an  original  play.  One  club  of  fifteen  members  spent 
the  fall  in  preparation  of  a  child's  play  for  the  house  entertain- 
ment at  Christmas. 


38 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


The  dramatic  side  of  literature  appeals  strongly  to  the  children 
and  is  possible  of  great  development. 

The  manual  classes  in  the  past  year  have  been  sewing,  in  an 
organized  school  of  one  hundred  and  fifty,  classes  ranging  from 
coarse  sewing  and  simple  stitches  to  machine  sewing  and  garments 
for  immediate  use.  Five  clubs,  averaging  twelve  members,  de- 
voted their  time,  up  to  the  last  of  March,  in  making  fancy  and 


•  -     ;  IF — " 

^  III 


LEARNING  TO  COOK 

useful  articles  for  the  Hudson  Guild  Fair.  One  club  of  smaller 
girls,  about  twenty  in  number,  organized  as  a  group  of  little 
mothers,  brought  their  dolls,  learned  how  to  make  clothes  for  them 
and  played  with  them  at  keeping  house. 

There  are  five  working  classes,  averaging  twelve  in  attend- 
ance, under  trained  teachers  from  Pratt  Institute,  Teachers' 
College  and  elsewhere.    Three  of  these  devote  the  lessons  to  the 


39 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 

first  steps  in  cooking.  Only  the  simplest  cooking  is  taught  and 
there  is  much  explanation  of  best  methods  of  using  kitchen  utensils 
and  handling  materials.  One  class  is  an  advanced  cooking  class 
and  learns  many  wholesome,  simple  recipes  that  are  made  of 
practical  use  in  the  children's  homes.  The  fifth  class  has  taken  a 
regular  course,  planning  the  meals  for  a  family  of  five  through  a 
week.  They  have  studied  the  cost  of  materials  and  adaptation  of 
means,  with  the  result  of  economical,  nourishing  and  appetizing 
hills  of  fare. 

The  musical  interest  of  the  children  has  been  the  subject  of 


SIMMER  STORY  TELLING 


much  study  and  plan.  There  have  been  four  teachers  for  the 
piano  and  eleven  hours  of  work  each  week.  The  work  is  under 
the  direction  of  one  head,  who  plans  the  instruction,  examines 
all  the  pupils  and  arranges  for  recitals  and,  occasionally, 
concerts  of  outside  talent.  There  has  been  a  start  at  scholarship 
work.  This  means  an  opportunity  for  those  making  greatest  prog- 
ress to  take  lessons  of  an  hour's  length  at  the  teacher's  studio. 
Through  the  generosity  of  interested  musical  friends  there  have 
been  two  of  these  scholarship  pupils  and  the  Guild  feels  that  in 


40 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


these  cases  a  real  start  has  been  made  in  training  the  natural 
musical  interest  and  ability  along  right  and  fine  lines. 

There  have  been  in  the  past  year  two  classes  of  folk  and  Recreative 
social  dancing  and  musical  games  have  varied  the  work  in  dancing. 
The  gymnasium  class  is  divided  into  two  groups,  according  to  age, 
and  each  class  enrolled  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  members.  Drill, 
dancing  and  athletic  games  made  the  program  beneficial  and 
interesting. 

There  were  five  organized  clubs,  averaging  twelve  in  member- 
ship. They  have  studied  and  practiced  the  beginning  of  self- 
government  and  the  meaning  of  the  simplest  rules  of  parliamentary 
procedure.  The  development  of  self-government  by  means  of 
clubs  is  gradual  but  very  real  and  the  mistakes  made  have  been 
bravely  shouldered  by  the  clubs,  discouragement  being  avoided 
through  the  good  sense  and  larger  vision  of  the  club  director.  The 
clubs  have  occasionally  discussed  the  work  of  the  District  Committee, 
in  one  or  two  instances  have  helped  in  special  cases  and  have  had 
some  talks  by  the  district  nurse  on  sick-room  devices,  which  have 
been  simple,  practical  and  full  of  interest. 

The  social  side  of  the  club  work  has  been  a  carefully  planned 
feature.  The  aid  of  the  director  has  been  sought  for  suggestion 
and  arrangement.  The  social  afternoon  has,  then,  been  left  in 
the  hands  of  the  members,  led  by  the  officers,  and  the  director  has 
been  simply  an  invited  guest.  The  sense  of  responsibility  has 
been  developed  to  a  satisfactory  extent  by  the  business  and  social 
undertakings  of  each  club. 

There  have  been  over  five  hundred  girls  of  all  ages  coming 
regularly  to  the  various  classes  and  clubs  that  have  met  each  after- 
noon of  the  past  year  at  the  Guild.  In  summing  up  the  various 
activities,  we  find  there  have  been  two  study  classes,  one  dramatic 
class,  two  sewing  schools,  five  cooking  classes,  eight  piano  classes, 
two  gymnasium  classes,  five  self-governing  clubs  and  five  groups 
combining  class  work  of  various  kinds  with  some  club  organization. 


41 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


The  neighborhood  of  Hudson  Guild  finds  its  ^irls,  as  a  rule, 
going  to  work  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  Their  education  has  rarely 
advanced  beyond  graduation  from  the  public  schools  and,  perhaps, 
a  year's  work  at  the  high  school.  Sometimes  an  evening  trade  or 
business  school  course  supplements  the  general  schooling.  We 
find  these  girls  employed  in  factories,  at  more  or  less  skilled  labor, 
in  department  stores,  as  cash  and  stock  girls  and  saleswomen  ;  a 
few,  employed  in  offices,  at  clerical  work  or  stenography  and 
some,  telephone  operators.  They  are  usually  steady  workers, 
industrious,  but  not  progressive.  Though  the  positions  held  com- 
mand small  pay,  this  is  usually  a  necessary  contribution  to  the 
family  support  ;  often  the  mainstay  of  the  family  comfort.  These 
working  girls  need  change  and  freedom  from  restraint  when  the 
pressure  of  the  day's  work  is  lifted  and  in  great  numbers  they 
seek  the  means  of  this  recreation  in  the  clubs  and  classes  at 
1  ludson  Guild. 

An  understanding  and  effort  to  live  in  fine  human  relations 
with  family  and  neighbors,  a  knowledge  of  large  social  move- 
ments, an  interest  in  literature,  the  drama,  in  art  and  in  music,  an 
improvement  in  the  conditions  of  the  home,  a  wholesome  enjoy- 
ment of  the  best  in  life — all  these  things  are  aimed  for,  and  little 
by  little  attained,  in  the  girls'  clubs  at  Hudson  Guild. 

There  are  seven  clubs,  averaging  a  membership  of  twenty. 
They  are  governed  by  self-elected  officers,  meet  all  their  own 
expenses  and  share  in  the  management  and  support  of  the  house 
by  representation  in  the  Clubs'  Council  and  by  paying  monthly 
rent  to  the  Council.  They  meet  regularly  for  nine  months.  During 
the  three  summer  months  they  practically  disband,  except  for 
outings  and  country  visits.    The  year's  expectation  of  each  club  is 

Programs  .  ,  £ 

embodied  in  a  program,  made  out  by  a  committee  of  conference 
at  the  beginning  of  each  club  year.  As  an  expression  of  what 
they  are  trying  for  and  desiring  this  club  program  has  proven  of 

42 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


interest  and  value.  The  committees  of  conference  feel  it  essential 
to  plan  for  work  of  some  sort ;  they  also  embody  in  the  program 
some  line  of  neighborly  effort,  co-operating  with  the  District  Com- 
mittee ;  they  arrange  informal  social  evenings  and  one  evening  of 
each  month  is  set  aside  for  a  regular  business  meeting.  Each 
club  feels  that  this  meeting,  well-conducted,  is  one  of  the  best 
evidences  of  a  successful  organization  and  it  is  a  fact  that  member- 
ship in  a  club  is  apt  to  increase  as  long  as  the  meeting  is  kept 
important.  At  this  monthly  meeting,  after  officer's  reports,  Council  The  business 
and  committee  reports,  various  general  subjects  are  discussed,  such  meetlne 
as  the  best  disposition  of  money  made  at  some  recent  entertain- 
ment or  the  wisest  way  of  giving  relief  to  some  one  in  need.  The 
programs  for  this  year  arranged  for  each  club  to  assist  in  the  house 
fair  held  in  March  and  April,  each  taking  up  the  work  of  its  own 
booth  and,  with  the  direction  and  aid  of  the  Advisory  Com- 
mittee, making  articles  for  sale  at  the  Fair.  Committees  were 
appointed  to  serve  as  saleswomen  at  the  different  sessions.  This 
formed  a  common  interest  in  the  work  of  all  the  clubs.  On  one 
program  it  was  arranged  to  have  talks  and  discussions  on  literary 
topics,  another  set  aside  part  of  the  club's  meetings  to  discus- 
sions of  charitable  efforts,  another  arranged  for  two  classes,  one 
in  sewing  and  another  in  cooking. 

Though  the  greatest  desire  of  the  girls,  individually,  is  for  a 
good  time,  this  is  by  no  means  the  whole  aim  of  the  club.  The 
evenings  when  the  discussion  was  the  wisest  relief  to  a  needy 
family  were  considered  quite  as  enjoyable  as  the  evenings  of 
dancing  and  games,  and  the  meetings  in  the  kitchen,  the  fifteen- 
cent  club  suppers  and  the  cooking  lessons  have  been  some  of  the 
most  popular  among  the  club  members. 

The  regular  membership  in  the  house  has  increased  about  ten 
per  cent,  in  the  past  year  and  the  rents  have  been  met  with  less 
difficulty  than  usual.  Over  half  of  the  clubs  contribute  regularly 
one-fourth  of  their  treasury  to  the  District  Committee  funds.  At 
the  close  of  the  season  all  the  members  felt  that  the  year  as  a 

43 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


whole  had  been  encouraging  and  delightful  and  the  program* had 
led  to  a  successful  conclusion. 
ciaBseB  for  The  evening  classes  for  working  girls  have  aimed  at  definite 

evening  eirls         .  .  .  , 

instruction,  at  the  same  time  appealing  to  the  preferences  of  the 
members.  As  a  result,  we  have  had  a  well-attended  cooking 
class.  This  has  developed  an  interest  in  household  economy,  in 
the  study  of  comparative  food  values  and  in  the  wider  issues  that 
involve  good  housekeeping  and  attractive  homemaking.  There 
has  been  a  dressmaking  class,  which  discussed  styles  and  appro- 
priate dressing,  while  making  skirts  and  waists  for  their  own  use. 
A  millinery  class  was  undertaken,  but  it  developed  that  under 
existing  conditions  the  cost  of  making  greatly  hindered  the  really 
keen  interest  of  the  girls.  A  group  of  girls  has  organized  in  the 
study  of  Shakespeare  and  the  discussion  of  present  day  plays. 
Two  dramatic  performances  were  given  and  a  third  is  being  pre- 
pared. There  has  been  a  group  studying  stenography  throughout 
the  winter. 

The  gymnasium  class  has  been  slowly  gaining  ir>  interest  and 
by  means  of  drill,  esthetic  dancing  and  athletic  games  has  proved 
of  physical  benefit  and  has  aroused  a  spirit  of  interest  and  under- 
standing in  house  athletics. 

After  investigating  the  amusements  of  the  younger  working 
girls,  a  dancing  class  was  formed  of  factory  and  department  store 
girls.  Here  dancing  and  games  were  taught  and  wholesome 
recreation  thus  furnished  to  some  of  the  youngest.  We  have 
undertaken  to  direct  along  better  lines  the  necessary  recreation 
that  these  girls  demand  and  get,  often  to  their  future  disadvantage. 

The  class  work  has  included  over  one  hundred  girls.  There 
have  been  eight  classes  ;  five  have  continued  throughout  the  year 
and  three  have  been  carried  through  a  course  of  from  five  to  ten 
lessons.  From  the  interest  shown  in  the  past  year  there  is  great 
hope  of  increasing  the  number  of  classes  and  the  attendance. 


44 


45 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


The  kindergarten  of  tlie  Hudson  Guild  lias  a  double  reason 
for  being,  In  the  first  instance  it  cares  for  the  youngest  of  tin- 
children  that  are  admitted  to  the  Guild  house,  the  baby  class  re- 
ceiving the  pupils  when  they  are  only  three  years  old. 

In  order  to  be  really  effective  in  matters  educational  it  is  said 
to  be  necessary  to  begin  with  the  grandparents  ;  it  is,  however, 
impossible  to  reach  back  into  the  preceding  generations  and  so  ive 
must  begin  as  effectively  as  we  can  and  as  early  as  we  can  with 
the  little  child. 

Victor  Hugo  has  said  that  you  cannot  dissolve  a  pearl  in  mud, 
and  so  no  matter  what  the  conditions  of  the  streets  or  the  houses 
from  which  the  children  come,  they  come  to  us  unspoiled.  There 
is  no  sight  at  the  Guild  more  beautiful  or  one  which  is  more  hope- 
inspiring  than  that  of  these  littlest  children  from  the  streets  and 
tenement  houses  playing  and  working  in  the  beautiful  kindergarten 
rooms,  surrounded  for  at  least  three  hours  each  day  with  the  best 
influences  that  the  trained  mind  of  the  teacher  and  the  instinctive 
understanding  of  a  good  kindergartner  can  give  them. 

The  second  great  purpose  which  the  kindergarten  has  is  the 
direct  appeal  which  the  little  child  makes  to  all  classes  to  render 
social  service.  However  eloquent  the  sermon,  however  stirring 
the  address  made  by  the  most  earnest  preacher  or  speaker,  it 
could  never  equal  in  effectiveness  the  plea  made  by  these  little 
and  often  neglected  children.  And  so  the  kindergarten  is  at  once 
the  goal  for  striving  and  the  starting  point  for  better  work  and 
living. 

It  is  the  child  of  the  crowded  houses  and  streets  who  enters 
the  kindergarten  here  at  the  early  age  of  three  years — a  child  de- 
prived by  these  conditions  of  his  rightful  opportunity  to  satisfy  his 
natural  instincts  for  play  in  a  wholesome  manner — whose  dawning 
intellect  is  given  no  fair  chance  to  reach  beyond  itself — in  whose  be- 
ing the  spark  of  the  divine  is  seldom  recognized  or  nurtured.  Here 


46 


THE       HUDSON  GUILD 


in  rooms  that  are  attractive  and  spacious,  among  conditions  that 
are  well  adapted  to  meet  the  demands  of  his  complex  nature,  the 
child  comes  in  contact  with  a  community  of  his  own  age,  where 
he  quickly  recognizes  the  right  to  give  expression  to  himself  and 
soi  in  feels  himself  a  part  of  the  whole  where  the  rights  of  each 
have  fair  consideration  and  where  he  rejoices  and  expands  in  the 
spirit  of  freedom,  play  and  good-fellowship  which  prevails. 

The  kindergartens  are  so  graded  that  for  three  years  the 
child  can  pass  onward  from  the  infant  group  that  is  just  grasping 
this  difficult  lesson  of  fellow  rights  to  the  mature  one  of  six  years 
who  has  gained  a  fair  mental  grasp — a  power  of  self-reliance  and 
a  respect  for  law  and  order  which  are  finally  felt  to  enhance  rather 
than  to  interfere  with  the  pursuit  of  their  days  of  joy  and  happiness. 

In  the  earlier  years  of  the  kindergarten  the  mothers  were 
urged  to  allow  the  children  to  bring  lunch,  but  often  this  was  not 
done  and  in  some  cases  the  food  which  was  brought  was  utterly 
unfit.  The  only  remedy  has  been  found  in  supplying  milk  and 
crackers  for  the  morning  lunch.    That  the  need  is  often  present 

The 

just  for  food  is  demonstrated  by  the  wonderful  improvement  in  kindergarten 
appearance  of  all  these  little  people.    Our  experience  has  been  lunch 
such  that  we  have  come  to  believe  that  the  majority  of  those  re- 
ceived in  the  kindergarten  are  insufficiently  if  not  improperly 
nourished. 

In  connection  with  this  branch  of  the  Guild  activities  there 
have  come  forward  "volunteer  workers"  who  give  a  new  and 
enlarged  meaning  to  that  term.  At  least  three  of  the  graduates 
of  the  Ethical  Culture  Training  School  for  Kindergartners  have 
come  to  the  Guild  on  every  school  day,  giving  trained  and  expert 
service  with  faithfulness  and  regularity.  Such  work  from  volun- 
teers is  rare,  and  not  only  is  it  a  help  to  the  children  whom  they 
teach  but  it  is  an  inspiration  to  all  who  know  of  it. 

It  will  be  unnecessary  to  detail  the  work  done  in  the  kinder- 
garten ;  this  report  of  course  deals  in  no  way  with  the  technical 
side  of  kindergarten  work,  but  one  special  feature  might  be  men- 

47 


The  "  volunteer 
worker  " 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


tioned.    Through  the  generosity  of  the  Felicia  committee  two 
weeks  are  set  aside  in  their  country  home  for  these  children  and 
Felicia  and  some  of  their  mothers.    In  this  way  it  is  possible  to  conduct  the 

nature  study  .  ,        .,      .  ... 

work  under  ideal  conditions  and  makes  that  large  part  of  the 
kindergarten  teaching  which  deals  with  nature  really  effective. 
Special  attention  is  given  to  the  study  and  use  of  nature  materials. 
The  great  world  of  which  the  little  street  child  will  otherwise  know 
nothing  is  revealed  to  him.  He  knows  where  the  Christmas  tree 
comes  from  when  he  dances  around  it  in  the  holiday  season  ;  he 
plucks  its  branches  and  twigs,  which  grow  into  the  open  fire  in  the 
cold  months  of  the  winter— flies  an  American  flag  from  its  top  on 
Washington's  Birthday  and  finally  takes  the  beloved  trunk  with 
him  to  the  park  to  dance  about  as  a  Mayj>ole. 

A  good  kindergartner  has  said  :  "About  all  that  can  be  done  the 
first  four  years  is  to  watch  the  child  and  study  his  needs  and  capaci- 
ties so  that  they  can  be  later  supplied  and  developed."    When  the 
small  pupil  leaves  the  classes  in  which  he  has  been  for  three  years 
Kindergarten       an(j  K,)es  t()  tjie  [mn|jc  scnooi  this  knowledge  of  him  and  interest 

graduate  clubs 

in  him  are  not  lost.  Almost  without  exception  the  children  return 
to  join  the  clubs  which  are  under  the  direction  of  this  same 
department. 

To  give  a  notion  of  the  extent  of  this  work,  there  were  in  its 
afternoon  clubs  over  one  hundred  and  thirty  of  these  children  who 
had  been  members  of  the  kindergarten.  Although  the  club  meet- 
ings are  not  so  frequent,  they  represent  a  more  developed  type  of 
work.  In  the  first  year  of  the  kindergarten  graduate  work  the 
home  idea  as  a  whole  is  introduced.  Each  child  makes  for  itself 
out  of  cardboard  a  home  complete  in  furniture  and  appointments — 
kitchen,  sitting-room  and  bedroom.  Later  on  the  real  and  not 
the  play  house  is  the  subject  of  thought,  and  each  club  member 
makes  some  useful  if  small  article  to  be  taken  to  its  own  home 
and  used.  As  the  hand  work  and  sewing  become  more  and  more 
developed  the  idea  of  the  good  home  is  over  and  over  again 
introduced. 


4< 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


The  kindergarten  yearly  average  is  70  ;  the  kindergarten  grad- 
uate club  membership  is  134. 

One  of  the  very  best  outcomes  of  the  kindergarten  has  been 
the  generous-hearted  co-operation  of  which  it  has  been  the  cause. 
The  inception  of  this  work  was  due  to  the  enterprise  of  the  gradu- 
ates of  the  normal  classes  of  the  kindergarten  department  of  the 
Ethical  Culture  School.  Originally  they  took  entire  charge  of  the 
kindergarten,  but  in  recent  years  they  have  co-operated  with  field 
members  in  carrying  on  the  work.  With  great  skill  and  devotion 
these  young  women,  many  of  them  active  kindergartners,  have 
forwarded  this  philanthropic  enterprise. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Hudson  Guild  these  same  children 
have  called  forth  fine  activities  from  the  women.  Not  only 
do  the  mothers  of  the  little  children  come  in  the  afternoon 
for  conference,  but  there  is  a  large  and  energetic  mothers'  club 
which  contributes  every  year  a  considerable  sum  toward  the  sup- 
port of  the  kindergarten.  This  club  is  one  of  the  best  features  of 
the  Hudson  Guild.  Its  members  and  committees  are  indefatigable 
in  their  work,  not  only  for  the  welfare  of  their  own  children  but 
for  all  the  children  of  the  district.  They  are  a  real  factor  in  the 
work  of  the  District  Committee,  investigating,  reporting,  nursing 
and  performing  innumerable  acts  of  neighborliness. 


Co-operation  of 
the  E.  C.  S. 
kindergarten 
alumnae 


The 

Mothers'  Club 


The  festival  seasons,  Thanksgiving  and  Christmas,  patriotic  and 
spring  festivals  and  the  anniversary  of  the  opening  of  the  new 
Hudson  Guild  building,  each  had  its  appropriate  celebration.  At 
Thanksgiving  all  the  children  gave  a  donation  party,  each  bring- 
ing fruit  or  vegetables  or  toys.  These  are  taken  on  Thanksgiving  Thanksgiving 
morning  to  a  children's  home  by  a  committee  of  the  Guild  chil-  tlme 
dren.  The  evening  club  girls  contributed  to  buy  fruit,  which  they 
took  to  the  city  institutions  on  Blackwell's  and  Randall's  Islands. 


*9 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


An  additional  Thanksgiving  abundance  is  displayed  by  the  ample 
dinners  sent  to  the  Guild  by  the  Ethical  Culture  School.  The  dis- 
tribution of  these  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  things  that  make 
the  Thanksgiving  season  so  cheery,  even  in  the  poorest  homes. 
Sometimes  the  Guild  children  who  so  gladly  give  their  small  dona- 
tion, and  the  older  girls  who  take  such  great  pleasure  in  distributing 
their  fruit  to  the  city's  dependents,  belong  to  families  which,  were 
it  not  for  these  hearty  holiday  dinners  sent  to  them,  would  have  a 
Thanksgiving  dinner  of  potatoes  and  tea. 

At  Christmas  time  the  house,  young  and  old,  is  united  in  a  joyful 
season  that  for  gayety  is  unequalled.  The  children  give  an  enter- 
Christmas  tainment  which  is  a  home  production.  Plays  of  Christmas  spirit, 
t,me  written  and  acted  by  the  children,  fairy  pantomimes,  minstrel 
shows  and  carol  singing  are  the  principal  features.  The  young 
meti  and  women  give  a  neighborhood  play,  written,  coached  and 
acted  by  house  members.  The  afternoon  clubs  and  classes  have 
a  round  of  Christmas  tree  parties,  to  which  they  invite  children 
not  likely  to  have  other  chances  to  see  a  Chistmas  tree.  Each  of 
the  older  girls'  clubs  gives  a  party,  inviting  friendless  little  young- 
sters, and  the  evening  is  spent  in  children's  games  around  the 
lighted  Christmas  tree,  distribution  of  toys  by  Santa  Claus,  and 
candy  and  ice  cream  all  around.  With  the  house  green-hung, 
redolent  of  Christmas-tree  fragrance,  rehearsals,  parties  and  enter- 
tainments going  ahead  with  bewildering  rapidity  from  Christmas 
to  New  Year's  Day,  the  old  year  goes  out  with  a  joy,  and  the  new 
year  comes  in  with  a  spirit,  that  stirs  everyone's  heart,  be  it  never 
so  old  or  so  poor  or  so  selfish.  The  Guild  is  dependent  for  these 
festivities  upon  the  gifts  of  its  friends,  which  have  been  generously 
forthcoming.  One  check  last  year  furnished  many  Christmases  to 
empty  homes  and  provided  a  group  of  especially  chilly  and  toy- 
less  little  girls  with  warm  underclothes  and  each  the  toy  she  most 
yearned  for.  It  is  a  single  Christmas  multiplied  a  thousandfold 
that  comes  around  the  last  week  of  December  each  year  at 
Hudson  Guild. 


50 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Our  patriotic  festival  has  consisted  of  patriotic  music,  lectures 
by  well-known  people  on  some  of  our  country's  great  men  and 
recitations  by  some  of  the  boys  of  famous  speeches. 

The  spring  festival  takes  place  at  the  Central  Park  May  party. 
A  Robin  Hood  play  was  given  on  the  rocks  at  the  Common  and 
Maypole  dances  were  part  of  the  entertainment.  The  remainder 
of  the  day  was  devoted  to  games  and  the  general  enjoyment  of 
the  park. 

The  anniversaries  of  the  opening  of  the  new  Guild  house  have 
not  yet  assumed  a  definite  program.  A  house  dance  was  given, 
to  which  all  the  members  were  cordially  invited.  The  house 
underwent  a  tour  of  inspection  and  old  members  enjoyed  reminis- 
cences and  comparisons  of  the  old  Guild  with  the  new. 

The  festivals  always  widen  the  circle  of  Hudson  Guild  and 
many  that  come  in  at  holiday  time  remain  and  become  familiar 
members  through  the  more  serious  seasons.  The  whole  house 
joins  in  the  celebrations  with  a  fine  harmony  that  makes  all  one, 
for  Hudson  Guild,  in  the  house  and  in  the  neighborhood. 


Patriotic 
festival 


Spring 
festival 


Anniversaries 


Site  jfrmtu.  jprom^pnt  lank 

The  Penny  Provident  Bank  station  is  open  daily  at  the  door 
of  the  Guild  and  the  bright-colored  stamps  and  the  pride  of  pos- 
sessing a  bank-book  attract  many  pennies  and  nickels  from  children 
who  intended  to  deposit  them  at  the  candy  store.  It  has  been 
necessary  to  increase  the  capital  of  the  bank  one  hundred  percent, 
in  the  last  year ;  two  hundred  names  have  been  added  to  the  list 
of  depositors  and  many  families  have  been  started  in  the  habit  of 
saving.  One  girl,  who  took  care  of  a  baby  after  school,  de- 
posited her  earnings  regularly  and  when  school  closed  came  to 
withdraw  $24.67  for  her  summer  vacation  in  the  country.  Many 
shoes  have  been  bought,  new  dresses  paid  for  and  even  rent  day 
met  from  these  small  savings.    It  is  not  too  hopeful  to  say  that  in 


51 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


many  cases  thrifty  habits  have  been  formed  where  wastefulness 
was  the  danger  of  the  home.  There  is  one  family  which  had  been 
helped  by  the  District  Committee  that  found  later  that  the  Penny 
Provident  Hank  made  the  outside  help  over  a  hard  time  unneces- 
sary. Among  our  Irish,  pleasure-loving,  easy-going  neighbors  the 
worth  of  a  nickel,  sometimes  of  a  quarter  or  a  dollar,  is  a  thin^ 
that  has  to  be  slowly  and  repeatedly  taught.  The  Penny  Provi- 
dent Hank  could  have  no  more  profitable  station  for  teaching  its 
lessons  where  they  are  needed  than  at  Hudson  Guild. 


®hf  Summer  Work 

A  walk  through  one  of  Chelsea's  blocks  on  a  hot  July  night, 
when  the  babies  are  stretched  on  chairs,  trying  to  sleep  in  the  little 
air  that  rises  from  the  hot  streets ;  when  the  men  and  women, 
looking  worn  and  draped,  crowd  the  doorsteps,  dreading  the 
house,  from  which  comes  a  heavy,  unendurable  odor;  when  the 
children  are  tearing  about  in  the  dirt  and  the  heat,  restless  and 
nervous  from  pent-up  discomfort,  is  sufficient  to  make  one  ask 
what  can  be  done  to  transplant  any  part  of  this  uncomfortable 
humanity  to  fresli  air  and  green  fields  and  room  to  breathe  and 
place  to  sleep. 

The  Guild  begins  its  summer  work  as  soon  as  the  spring 
makes  the  country  attractive.  Every  Saturday  in  May  sees  parties 
of  children  ready  at  ten  o'clock  to  start  for  a  picnic  to  some  park 
or  bit  of  country  near  New  York.  They  return  laden  with  flowers 
and  filled  with  good,  fresh  air  that  helps  to  build  up  a  power  of 
resistance  for  the  months  to  come.  With  the  aid  of  the  Young 
Women's  Union  of  the  Society  for  Ethical  Culture,  Mrs.  A.  R. 
Wolff  and  many  of  the  regular  club  leaders  at  the  Guild,  and  in- 
clusive of  the  Hudson  Guild  May  party,  about  one  thousand 
children  have  started  out  this  year  on  these  day's  outings. 


52 


53 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Shower  baths  Through  July  every  morning  at  eleven  a  constantly  increasing 

number  of  little  girls  appeared  with  towel  and  soap  and  after  a 
good  shower  hath  and  a  thorough  scrub  emerged  so  comfortable 
that  the  advantage  is  undoubted. 

The  game  class  for  small  children,  averaging  thirty  in  attend- 
ance, the  gymnasium  class,  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  older  girls, 
embroidery  and  cooking  classes,  averaging  twelve  in  attendance, 
took  the  children  from  the  sun's  heat,  dirt  and  tumult  of  the  streets, 
and  their  popularity  equalled  their  value. 

Co-operating  There  are  many  agencies  with  which  we  co-operate  for  vacation 

agencies  ,  . 

opportunities  of  two  weeks  country  life.  These  are  available  for 
both  old  and  young.  The  Association  for  Improving  the  Condition 
of  the  Poor,  through  Sea  Hreeze  and  Caroline  Rest,  accommodates 
many  mothers,  children  and  babies.  The  convalescent  homes  at 
Kast  View,  Summit,  Wilburtha  and  elsewhere  have  relieved  many 
of  the  neighborhood  and  have  been  very  generous,  as  far  as  their 
capacity  and  demand  will  permit.  The  Vacation  Society  for 
Working  Girls  has  sent  away  some  of  the  older  girls,  unable  to 
pay  any  board,  or,  at  most,  a  nominal  sum.  These  have  been 
cases  of  nervous  breakdown  or  tubercular  symptoms.  The  bureau 
established  by  Mrs.  Israel's  committee  for  information  as  to 
reasonable,  reputable  boarding  places  has  been  consulted  and 
found  helpful.  Our  greatest  outside  resource  in  taking  children  to 
the  country  has  been  the  Tribune  Fresh  Air  Fund,  with  which  for 
five  years  we  have  co-operated,  sending  away  about  three  hundred 
children  annually.  These  parties  go  either  to  the  homes  operated 
by  the  fund  or  to  farmhouses  throughout  the  State.  The  chil- 
dren get  an  understanding  of  country  life  by  the  farm  visits  that 
is  valuable  not  only  in  giving  health,  but  in  broadening  the  insight 
and  experience  of  the  youngsters.  They  almost  always  find  real 
friends  in  the  generous  country  people,  who  open  their  homes  to 
these  tenement-bred  children.  Our  little  Patsy,  who  came  home 
laden  with  vegetables,  fruit,  flowers  and  even  chickens,  gifts  of 
his  farmer,  would  not  easilv  listen  to  any  one  calling  his  friend  a 


54 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


"hayseed,"  and  the  children  who  helped  to  gather  the  fruit  and 
vegetables  and  store  them  in  the  cellar  for  winter  supply  understand 
now  that  apple  trees,  growing  apparently  unwatched  in  an  orchard 
by  the  wayside,  are  someone's  property  and  a  means  of  livelihood, 
not  mere  plunder  for  the  passerby. 

The  strict  physical  examination  which  each  child  must  pass 
before  going  to  the  country  has  proved  of  value.  The  first  year 
that  the  Tribune  doctor  examined,  the  children  who  did  not  pass 
the  test  often  brought  angry,  ignorant  mothers  to  the  Guild  to  say 
that  this  or  that  condition  of  head,  eyes,  throat  or  skin  was  merely 
used  as  an  excuse  for  favoritism  and  that  they  wouldn't  bother  to 
send  their  children  to  such  a  place.  The  unremitting  vigilance  of 
the  doctor  and  mother  love,  yielding  to  the  keen  desire  of  the 
children,  have  acted  to  such  an  extent  that  now  complaint  is  rare 
and  our  country  parties  increase  yearly  about  ten  per  cent. 

The  climax  of  joy  and  benefit  is  attained  for  the  Guild  chil- 
dren in  the  annual  visit  to  Felicia  at  Mountainville.  The  use  of 
this  exceptionally  delightful  summer  home  is  granted  the  Guild 
by  the  Young  Men's  Union  of  the  Society  for  Ethical  Culture.  In 
the  past  year  four  groups  enjoyed  the  privilege  for  two  weeks 
each,  the  kindergarten  and  mothers  in  June,  the  boys  and  girls  in 
August,  the  working  girls  in  September.  Thus  about  three  hun- 
dred Guild  members  had  a  needed  and  health-giving  vacation. 

This  opportunity  to  connect  the  city  work  of  the  Guild  with 
the  country  work  is  of  mutual  value.  Living  under  the  same  root 
with  so  many  of  our  neighbors  for  two  weeks  affords  an  insight 
into  needs  and  possible  means  that  cannot  help  but  make  the 
winter  clubs  more  effective  and  our  mutual  understanding  at  the 
Guild  more  sympathetic.  By  walks,  picnics  and  camping  the 
boys  and  girls  are  learning  the  country  about  Felicia  thoroughly 
and  the  uplift  and  outlook  of  the  hills  and  the  fields  are  an  im- 
measurable brace  to  mind  and  body.  With  a  long  breath,  each 
can  turn  to  the  winter's  work  and  play  with  something  added 
consciously  and  unconsciously  that  will  go  through  life.    Thus  the 


The  physical 
examination 


55 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


good  of  these  two-week  visits  is  felt  throughout  the  year  in  the 
Guild  and  in  the  home,  from  the  demand  at  the  start  for  perfect 
cleanliness  and  freedom  from  contagious  symptom  to  the  joy, 
health  and  development  each  lias  gained  to  bring  hack  to  the  city 
and  home. 


FLOWER  DAY 


®hp  Wiamn  and  IFnrit  (&mib 

One  of  the  opportunities  for  co-operation  that  affords  our 
neighbors  the  greatest  pleasure  is  the  National  Plant,  Flower  and 
Fruit  Guild.  From  the  country,  every  week  from  April  through 
October,  boxes  filled  with  nosegays  of  lovely  flowers  are  deposited 
at  our  door  by  the  express  company.    They  bring  with  them  the 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


beauty  of  the  gardens  and  the  fields,  from  friends  at  kowayton, 
Xorwalk,  Dobbs  Ferry,  Far  Rockaway  and  elsewhere.  Babies, 
big  boys,  old  ladies,  all  sorts  of  people,  line  up  in  the  hall,  eager 
and  expectant.  As  each  goes  out  with  his  fragrant  bouquet  the 
rumor  spreads  like  wildfire  in  the  street.  The  crowd  soon  gets 
too  big  to  be  satisfied  and  the  answer  finally  has  to  be,  "Come 
earlier  next  week." 

The  Flower  and  Fruit  Guild  has  for  the  past  five  years  fur- 
nished to  our  neighbors  window  boxes  at  twenty-five  cents  each. 
These  contain  vines  and  plants,  which  have  proved  a  delight  and 
in  the  care  of  them  an  education.  This  year  a  plant  sale  was  held. 
Geraniums,  palms  and  ferns  were  obtained  by  the  Flower  Guild 
from  country  estates  and  these  were  sold  at  a  nominal  price  to  the 
flower-lovers  of  the  neighborhood.  Throughout  the  year  the 
Flower  Guild  has  frequently  sent  us  flowers  from  various  functions. 
Last  Thanksgiving  boxes  of  vegetables  were  sent  from  the  country 
and  made  a  good  addition  to  the  Thanksgiving  dinners  sent  out 
by  the  Guild. 


iGtbrarg 

The  library  is  on  the  ground  floor  of  the  house  and  its  five 
large  windows  overlook  Chelsea  Park,  which,  like  the  Hudson 
Guild,  is  surrounded  by  stores,  tenement  houses  and  saloons.  In 
the  evening  the  library  presents  a  great  contrast  to  its  surround- 
ings and  passersby  stare  in  amazement  to  see  a  well-lighted  room 
with  its  walls,  woodwork  and  furnishings  all  in  harmonizing  browns  ; 
wall  cases  and  floor  stacks  filled  with  books  ;  tables  with  magazines 
and  newspapers  ;  low  tables  and  chairs  for  the  children  near 
shelves  of  picture  books ;  while  flowers,  paintings,  statuary,  club 
banners  and  cups  decorate  the  walls  and  add  to  the  attractiveness 
of  the  room. 

Adults  enjoy  its  order  and  quiet ;  desired  information  is  found 


r>7 


58 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


for  them,  and  individual  attention  is  given  each  reader.  The  aim 
of  the  library  is  that  of  all  other  libraries  and  of  the  house — educa- 
tional. Students  are  assisted  and  encouraged  in  every  possible 
way;  requested  lists  of  reading  are  furnished  and  the  books 
provided. 

The  library  is  not  only  for  club  members  but  for  the  whole 
neighborhood.  Babies  are  often  brought  while  the  mothers  ex- 
change their  books ;  children  bring  small  brothers  and  sisters. 
Thus  many  make  use  of  the  room,  and  into  over  six  hundred 
homes  we  send  good  literature.  The  people  live  in  the  book,  and 
in  this  way  only  can  they  obtain  a  glimpse  into  an  unknown 
world  or  for  a  time  forget  their  surroundings.  Almost  all  readers 
take  two  books  home  each  time,  and  some  as  many  as  four. 
Vacation  privileges  are  granted  and  every  one  may  have  all  the 
books  he  can  carry  away  for  the  summer. 

The  re-registration  was  an  interesting  and  valuable  feature  of 
the  winter's  work,  for  it  brought  not  only  the  library  but  the  Guild 
to  the  notice  of  many  new  families.  With  the  children  the  writing 
of  their  name  in  the  register  made  them  the  proud  possessors  of  a 
"library  ;"  it  changed  their  attitude  in  the  room,  promoted  order 
and  aroused  the  interest  of  the  whole  family.  Directly  the  re-regis- 
tration started  the  circulation  increased — thus  from  March  to  July 
there  was  a  gain  of  652  over  the  corresponding  time  last  year.  It 
is  fortunate  that  the  re-registration  occurred  then,  or  otherwise,  like 
all  branches  of  the  New  York  Public  Library,  we,  too,  would  have 
felt  the  effects  of  the  early  spring  and  our  circulation  would  have 
dropped  behind  each  month.  Children  were  impatient  to  join 
when  they  found  that  clean  hands  and  the  parents'  signature  were 
all  that  were  necessary  to  obtain  library  privileges.  All  hands  are 
now  offered  for  inspection  ;  those  that  remain  in  pockets  or  twisted 
up  in  aprons  are  sure  to  be  dirty. 

Attention  is  also  given  to  the  room,  as  well  as  the  home,  use 
of  books.  Reading  at  the  library  has  become  so  popular  with  the 
children  that  more  books,  another  table  and  chairs  were  secured  ; 
yet  we  are  still  unable  to  seat  them  all. 


59 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Rooks  are  selected  with  care  that  our  public  may  have  good 
editions  of  the  best  literature;  new  titles  are  introduced  through 
the  bulletins  and  the  story  hour  on  Mondays. 

Two  friends  of  the  children  come  to  tell  the  stories.  Because 
the  groups  were  so  large  it  was  thought  best  to  divide  them  into 
two  sections  and  to  provide  rooms  for  the  story  telling.  After  the 
story  the  children  go  to  the  shelves  to  select  their  own  books. 
The  demands  for  Alger,  Castlemon,  Mary  J.  Holmes,  Augusta 
Evans  and  "sad  stories"  are  gradually  ceasing.  Children  are 
recommending  to  each  other  new-found  friends,  such  as  "The 
Old  Fashioned  Girl,"  "  Heide, "  "Lady  Jane,"  "Robinson 
Crusoe"  and  the  "Golden  Goose,"  while  adults  are  enjoying 
Austen,  Barr,  Crawford  and  Jack  London. 

The  Traveling  Library  of  the  New  York  Public  Library  has 
often  assisted;  not  only  has  it  given  five  hundred  books  for  room 
use  and  loaned  four  hundred  volumes  for  circulation,  but  on 
a  few  days'  notice  it  will  send  a  dozen  copies  of  any  drama  for 
club  work.  From  the  state  we  receive  an  appropriation  that  en- 
ables the  library  to  meet  more  of  the  demands  made  upon  it. 
Hooks  and  magazines  are  sent  by  interested  friends.  Two  new 
bulletin  boards  have  already  proved  of  value.  The  work  of  the 
year  foretells  that  of  the  fall — it  is  full  of  interesting  ]>ossibilities. 


Days  open  during  the  year 

299 

Hours  open  each  week  for  reading  and  circulation 

25i/2 

A  du  Its    Ch  ildren 

Total 

Number  volumes  at  beginning  of  year 

1,486 

1,530 

3,016 

Number  volumes  added  by  purchase 

30 

67 

97 

Number  volumes  added  by  gift 

162 

115 

277 

Number  volumes  lost  or  withdrawn 

68 

307 

375 

Total  end  of  year  .... 

1,610 

1,405 

3,015 

Number  volumes  loaned  for  home  use 

(fiction)  

4,604 

6,477 

11,081 

Number  volumes  loaned  for  home  use 

5,504 

8,258 

13,762 

Books  sent  to  the  bindery  . 

215 

605 

60 

THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Sty?  (ElubH*  (Eowtril 

The  Clubs'  Council  of  Hudson  Guild  has  been  a  success  for 
the  following  reason  :  There  has  been  placed  in  its  hand  real 
power,  the  power  to  do  things  which  interest  the  Council  members. 

Too  often  social  organizations  of  a  philanthropic  nature  bring 
their  beneficiaries  together  and  make  a  pretence  at  self-govern- 
ment, but  keep  all  real  authority  out  of  their  hands.  The  Clubs'  The  Council 
Council  has  the  power  and  is  developing  the  capacity  to  be  the  has  real  P°wer 
legislative  body  of  the  neighborhood  house  and  through  its  com- 
mittees has  the  executive  functions  of  the  organization  as  well. 
The  Council  also  elects  the  house  court,  which  represents  the 
judiciary. 

In  this  age  money  is  the  sign  of  power,  and  to  convince  the 
members  that  they  were  to  have  a  real  power  in  the  house  and  to 
give  them  training  in  this  very  necessary  branch  of  education,  the 
Council  was  given  the  function  of  apportioning  rents  of  the  clubs 
and  collecting  these  rents,  and  is  held  responsible  for  paying  bills  in 
the  house  amounting  to  about  fifteen  hundred  dollars  a  year. 
These  bills  cover  the  entire  lighting  and  heating,  the  janitor  sup- 
plies and  incidental  repairs  and  breakage.  Holding  the  house 
members  responsible  for  meeting  this  expenditure  makes  them 
naturally  much  more  careful  about  waste  and  anxious  to  make  as 
advantageous  contracts  as  possible  for  coal,  gas  and  electricity. 

The  Council  is  composed  of  representatives  from  all  the 
evening  clubs  using  the  house.  Perhaps  the  best  way  to  get  an 
idea  of  what  the  Council  is  will  be  to  print  its  constitution,  the 
present  form  of  which  has  been  in  force  about  five  years  and, 
while  not  in  perfect  shape,  has  been  found  useful  and  was  the  out- 
growth of  ten  years'  experience. 

We,  the  members  of  the  clubs  of  the  Hudson  Guild,  in  order    its  constitution 
to  form  a  more  perfect  union,  establish  justice,  promote  the  gen- 
eral welfare  and  secure  greater  social  liberty  and  privileges  for 
ourselves  and  our  neighborhood,  do  establish  this  constitution  for 
the  members  of  the  clubs  of  the  Hudson  Guild. 


61 


62 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


ARTICLE  I. 

Sec.  1. — Legislative  Department. — All  legislative  powers  for 
the  house  herein  granted  shall  be  vested  in  the  Clubs'  Council 
of  the  Hudson  Guild,  which  shall  be  a  representative  body. 

Sec.  2. — The  Council  shall  be  composed  of  members  chosen 
every  year  by  the  members  of  the  various  clubs,  and  five  members 
at  large  to  be  elected  by  the  Council. 

The  Head  Worker  shall  be  ex  officio  member  of  the  Council  ; 
he  shall  have  the  right  to  participate  in  the  discussion,  but  shall 
have  no  vote. 

Sec.  3. — No  person  shall  be  a  representative  to  the  Council 
from  a  club  which  has  been  in  the  house  for  a  year  or  more 
unless  said  representative  shall  have  been  in  the  house  for  a  year 
or  more  ;  but  a  new  club  admitted  to  the  house  shall  at  once  have 
full  representation. 

Sec.  4. — Representatives  to  the  Council  shall  be  appor- 
tioned among  the  clubs  according  to  their  respective  member- 
ships, each  club  having  the  right  to  one  representative  for  every 
ten  members,  each  club  being  entitled  to  at  least  one  represen- 
tative, and  no  club  to  be  allowed  more  than  five  representatives. 

Sec.  5. — When  a  vacancy  occurs  in  the  representation  from 
any  club  the  club  president  may  have  power  to  appoint  a  substi- 
tute until  the  next  regular  meeting  of  the  club,  when  the  vacancy 
shall  be  filled  by  election. 

Sec.  6. — The  Council  shall  choose  a  president  and  other 
officers  from  among  its  own  members,  and  shall  have  the  sole 
power  of  removing  its  own  officers. 

Sec.  7. — The  election  of  members  to  the  Council  shall  take 
place  in  the  various  clubs  at  the  first  regular  meeting  in  January. 

Sec.  8. — The  election  of  officers  for  the  Council  shall  take 
place  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Council  in  February. 

Sec.  9. — The  Council  shall  assemble  at  least  once  every  month. 

Sec.  10. — The  Council  shall  keep  a  journal  of  its  proceedings 
and  from  time  to  time  shall  publish  its  proceedings  in  the  house 
newspaper,  and  the  yeas  and  nays  of  the  members  of  the  Council 
on  any  question  at  the  desire  of  one-fifth  of  those  present  shall  be 
entered  on  the  journal. 

ARTICLE  II. 

Sec.  1. — Mode  of  Passing  Rules. — Every  measure  which 
shall  have  passed  the  Council  shall  before  it  becomes  a  law  be 


63 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


presented  to  the  Head  Worker  of  the  Hudson  Guild  ;  if  he 
approve  lie  shall  sign  it,  but  if  not  he  shall  return  it  with  his  ob- 
jections to  the  Council,  and  if  alter  further  consideration  two- 
thirds  of  all  the  members  of  the  Council  agree  to  pass  the  measure- 
it  shall  become  a  law.  If  any  measure  adopted  by  the  Council 
be  not  returned  by  the  Head  Worker  at  the  next  regular  meeting 
of  the  Council  it  shall  be  a  law  as  if  it  were  signed. 

ARTICLE  III. 

Sec.  1. — Powers  of  the  Council. — To  assign  rooms,  to  apjxir- 
tion  and  collect  house  rents,  to  regulate  interclub  affairs  and  the 
relations  of  the  house  with  other  neighborhood  houses,  to  establish 
a  uniform  rule  for  the  passing  of  a  member  from  one  club  to 
another,  to  promote  educational  work,  to  provide  means  of  athletic 
exercise  and  entertainment,  to  undertake  and  encourage  im- 
provements in  the  neighborhood,  to  establish  a  court  in  the  house, 
to  make  house  rules,  to  suspend  or  expel  any  club,  to  grant  or 
take  away  privileges  from  any  club. 

Sec.  2. — The  Council  may  not  prevent  any  person  joining  a 
club  provided  he  has  not  broken  any  of  the  rules  regulating  the 
passing  of  a  member  from  one  club  to  another  and  is  of  good 
moral  character. 

Sec.  3. — The  Council  shall  not  discipline  a  member  of  any 
club  until  after  the  case  has  been  referred  by  the  House  Commit- 
tee or  the  Head  Worker  or  his  representative  to  the  club  of  which 
the  offender  is  a  member.  In  case  the  club  does  not  take  proper 
action  at  or  before  the  time  of  its  next  regular  meeting,  the  case 
shall  be  referred  to  the  Court  of  the  Clubs'  Council  by  the  secre- 
tary of  the  Council  for  action.  The  judges  shall  pass  both  upon 
the  original  offense  and  upon  the  club  which  has  failed  to  take 
action.  Their  decision  shall  be  final  unless  reversed  by  the 
Council,  and  the  House  Committee  shall  be  empowered  to  carry 
out  the  decision  of  the  Court. 

Sec.  4. — The  Council  shall  adopt  rules  to  be  known  as  By- 
Laws  of  the  Council  which  shall  regulate  the  powers  of  the  House 
Committee  and  all  other  committees,  except  such  powers  as  are 
granted  to  them  in  this  Constitution. 

Sec.  5. — In  case  of  the  removal  from  office  of  the  Head 
Worker  or  of  his  death  or  absence  the  president  of  the  Council 
shall  perform  his  duties  until  someone  is  duly  appointed  by  the 
Hoard  of  Trustees  of  the  Hudson  Guild. 


64 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


ARTICLE  IV. 

Sec.  1. — Duties  of  the  Head  Worker. — He  shall,  from  time  to 
time,  give  information  to  the  Council  about  the  state  of  the  house 
and  recommend  for  its  consideration  such  measures  as  he  shall 
deem  necessary  and  expedient.  The  Head  Worker  and  the  House 
Committee  shall  see  that  the  laws  passed  by  the  Council  are 
faithfully  executed. 

Sec.  2. — The  Council  may  at  any  cime  by  a  two-thirds  vote 
impeach  the  Head  Worker,  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  president 
of  the  Council  to  announce  to  the  Council  the  next  regular  meet- 
ing of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  when  delegates  shall  be  appointed 
to  lay  the  matter  at  issue  between  the  Council  and  the  Head 
Worker  before  the  Board  of  Trustees. 

ARTICLE  V. 

Sec.  1. — The  judicial  power  of  the  Hudson  Guild  shall  be 
vested  in  a  Court  and  in  such  inferior  courts  and  committees  as 
the  Council  may  from  time  to  time  appoint ;  the  president  of  the 
Council  to  act  as  chief  of  the  Court ;  judges  to  be  elected  by  the 
Council. 

Sec.  2. — The  judicial  powers  of  the  Court  shall  extend  to  all 
cases  arising  under  this  constitution. 

Sec.  3. — Appeal  may  be  had  from  the  decision  of  the  Court 
through  the  Council,  and  the  Council  shall  have  the  power  either 
to  sustain  or  reverse  the  decision  of  the  Court  by  a  majority  vote 
of  all  the  members  of  the  Council. 

ARTICLE  VI. 

Sec.  1. — A  new  club  may  be  admitted  by  the  Council  to  the 
house,  and  no  club  shall  be  considered  a  member  of  the  house 
until  it  has  been  formally  admitted  by  the  Council. 

Sec.  2. — The  Council  shall  guarantee  to  every  club  in  this 
house  a  self-chosen  form  of  government;  shall  protect  each  club 
against  all  avoidable  annoyances,  and  shall  strive  to  further  the 
welfare  of  each  club  by  every  means  possible. 

Sec.  3.  -This  constitution  shall  not  be  considered  valid  until 
it  shall  have  been  ratified  by  two-thirds  of  the  clubs  of  the  Hudson 
Guild. 


65 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


ARTICLE  VII. 
Sec.  [.-  Tlie  Council,  whenever  two-tliirds  of  its  members 
shall  deem  it  necessary,  shall  propose  an  amendment  to  this  con- 
stitution, but  no  amendment  shall  be  considered  as  binding  until 
it  has  been  ratified  by  two-thirds  of  the  clubs. 

In  certain  aspects  the  Hudson  Guild  is  an  educational  insti- 
tution its  best  teaching  has  probably  been  through  the  Council 
and  like  organizations.  There  is  much  talk  these  days  about  self- 
government  and  democracy.  Probably  the  best  people  in  the  com- 
munity are  not  able  to  govern  themselves  any  tcx>  well  ;  howev  er, 
there  is  this  in  common  among  all  people,  that  they  get  more  out 
of  self-government  in  the  long  run,  or  at  least  participating  in  self- 
government,  than  they  do  out  of  any  other  form  of  management. 
We  do  not  claim  that  we  have  a  perfect  form  of  government  for  a 
neighborhood  house  ;  we  claim  only  that  we  are  trying  to  learn 
those  methods  and  acquire  the  virtue  ai.d  skill  which  will  make 
self-government  more  and  more  possible  and  an  ever  greater 
reality. 

We  would  be  perfectly  willing  to  have  all  of  our  plans  and 
work  considered  merely  an  attempt  at  self-education  in  self-govern- 
ment. It  is  a  lesson  which  cities,  states  and  the  nation  itself  has 
only  partially  learned.  Through  the  medium  of  parties  and  poli- 
ticians the  people  and  particularly  the  poor  people  have  been 
almost  entirely  divorced  from  any  participation  in  government 
whatsoever  and  this  points  a  great  danger  in  the  future.  The 
Hudson  Guild  is  trying  to  give  such  powers  to  and  develop  such 
responsibilities  in  its  club  members  that  they  will  be  able  and  will- 
ing to  take  a  really  useful  part,  not  only  in  the  house  but  in  the 
neighborhood  and  the  city  as  well. 


66 


THE       HUDSON  GUILD 


®tjr  (gattnnl  (Emnmttteea 

The  House  Committee  is  the  executive  committee  of  the  The  House 

Council.  The  president  and  the  treasurer  are  always  two  of  its  Committee 
members — the  other  members,  representatives  of  the  clubs,  are 
appointed  by  its  chairman.  Through  its  hands  pass  all  bills  to  be 
approved  before  being  paid  by  the  treasurer  of  the  Council.  It 
has  financial  anxieties  which  it  accepts  most  seriously — and  all 
plans  for  raising  extra  money  to  meet  house  expenses  are  made 
by  this  committee,  to  be  accepted  or  refused  by  the  Council.  It 
is  responsible  for  house  order ;  all  dates  for  dances  are  assigned 
by  the  committee  and  clubs  must  apply  to  it  for  rooms.  Any  house 
members  reported  for  misconduct  are  expected  to  communicate 
with  the  committee.  All  business  addressed  to  the  Council  passes 
through  its  hands.  Contracts  for  coal,  janitor's  supplies,  etc.,  are 
made  by  this  committee  or  made  and  submitted  to  it.  It  meets 
weekly  on  Monday  evenings. 

All  applications  from  groups  that  are  desirous  of  forming  The  Membership 
clubs  are  sent  to  the  Membership  Committee.  They  are  inves-  Committee 
tigated  and  brought  before  the  Council.  Any  changes  of  address, 
resignations  or  names  of  new  members  are  sent  to  this  committee. 
All  clubs  must  submit  a  full  list  of  members  with  their  addresses: 
these  names  are  registered  in  the  card  catalogue,  one  of  our  im- 
portant features.  Keeping  careful  account  of  our  members,  seeing 
that  clubs  which  have  been  dropped  by  the  Council  because  of  rent 
due  or  for  some  serious  misdemeanor  are  not  coming  back  under 
a  different  name — all  this  means  time  and  thought  and  care,  the 
exercise  of  which  makes  this  body  an  important  branch  of  the 
Council. 

The  Entertainment  Committee  has  charge  of  all  house  dances     „,,  „ 

The  Entertain- 

and  entertainments,  but  it  is  not  responsible  for  entertainments    ment  Committee 
given  by  individual  clubs.    However,  some  representative  of  this 
committee  and  one  or  more  members  of  the  House  Committee  are 


67 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


supposed  to  be  present  and  assist  the  liosts  in  meeting  quests  and 
keeping  order. 

Closely  connected  with  this  committee  is  the  Education  Com- 
mittee, under  whose  auspices  are  conducted  the  various  classes — 
civil  service,  Stenography,  music,  literature,  arithmetic  and  other 
branches  of  mathematics,  and  plan  reading  ;  the  Shakespeare  read- 
ings in  different  clubs  and  the  study  of  various  dramatic  works. 

There  are  men  on  the  police  force,  mail  carriers,  firemen, 
bookkeepers  and  expert  Stenographers  as  well  as  men  advanced  in 
the  trades  who  owe  their  positions  to  the  men  and  women  who 
have  come  to  the  Guild  in  the  evenings  to  give  special  instruction. 
Under  the  supervision  of  these  two  committees,  Education  and 
Kntertainment,  come  the  excellent  Sunday  concerts,  which  are 
a  real  feature  of  the  winter's  work. 

The  Education  Committee  also  arranges  for  the  fine  loan 
exhibitions  of  pictures  always  to  be  seen  in  the  library. 

The  Fool  Committee  has  charge  of  the  Common  Room,  in 
which  men  of  all  clubs  can  play  pool  or  cards.  The  committee 
must  have  at  least  one  representative  in  the  room  every  evening, 
not  only  to  keep  order  but  to  collect  dues  from  the  pool  tables. 

The  judges  of  the  Court,  five  in  number,  one  chief  judge  and 
four  associates,  are  elected  by  the  Council.  The  duties  of  these 
officers  are  indicated  in  Article  V,  Sections  1,  2  and  3,  of  the 
Council's  constitution. 

So  smoothly  do  the  different  clubs  and  club  members  do  their 
work  that  the  meetings  of  the  Court  are  very  rare,  need  for  its 
action  taking  place  only  once  or  twice  a  year.  Hut  it  has  been 
found  very  valuable  to  have  such  a  body,  on  whose  authority  and 
justice  all  house  members  can  rely. 


68 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Utyp  iiatnrt  (Uommtttrr 

'  Tis  not  in  the  high  stars  above 

Nor  in  the  cups  of  budding  flowers. 
Nor  in  the  redbreast' s  mellow  tone, 

Nor  in  the  bow  that  smiles  in  showers  ; 
But  in  the  mud  and  scum  of  things — 

There  ahvay,  alway  something  sings. 

Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

The  work  of  the  District  Committee  extends  far  outside  the  The 
walls  of  the  house,  our  neighborhood  reaching  from  Forty-second  neighborhood 
street  to  Fourteenth  street,  Broadway  to  the  river — a  neighbor- 
hood not  so  thickly  populated  as  one  of  the  same  size  on  the  East 
Side,  but  still  crowded  and  with  miserable  rear  tenements  behind 
many  fairly  decent-looking  houses;  a  sordid  neighborhood,  where 
families  of  eight  feel  that  ten  dollars  a  wreek  is  a  fair  living  wage; 
where  family  after  family  never  know  what  it  is  to  be  comfort- 
ably housed,  clothed  and  fed  ;  a  neighborhood  where  poverty  is 
accepted  as  a  matter  of  course — a  drunken  husband,  a  crippled 
child  but  the  common  lot. 

Yet  beneath  all  this  tragedy  lie  good  hearts,  happy  dispositions, 
generous  natures  and  the  fertile  ground  for  mental  development. 
More  lovable  little  children  are  not  to  be  found  anywhere  and  one 
constantly  recognizes  in  them  the  fine  possibilities  for  the  future. 

Into  the  ill-kept,  damp-cellared  houses  creeps  the  curse  of 
Chelsea  district — tuberculosis — striking  down  the  young  and  old, 
seldom  stopping  at  one  victim  in  a  family,  which  is  not  surprising 
when  seven  and  eight  people  live  in  four  rooms,  three  of  the  four 
being  dark.  The  district  nurse  is  perhaps  our  greatest  factor  in 
lighting  this  curse,  but  even  she  could  do  little  without  the  help  of 
the  other  members  of  the  committee. 

The  District  Committee  is  composed  not  only  of  house  mem- 
bers but  also  of  those  not  belonging  to  clubs  who  will  render  any 
service  whatsoever.    Each  member  is  responsible  for  his  or  her 

69 


Tuberculosis 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


block,  reporting  the  cases  of  illness,  want,  unsanitary  conditions, 
etc.,  to  the  chairman  of  the  committee.  The  family  is  visited  and 
in  many  instances  the  committee  turns  to  the  Charity  Organization 
Society,  the  Association  for  Improving  the  Condition  of  the  Poor, 
the  Hoard  of  Health  and  the  Tenement  House  Department  for  co- 
operation and  help.  Fine  lawyers  have  come  forward  to  help 
some  neighbor  of  ours  in  time  of  need,  and  there  are  at  least  three 
skillful  doctors  who  will  visit  our  sick  in  serious  illness  or  who  will 
receive  in  their  offices  some  special  case  for  examination.  Often 
the  committee  members  belong  t<>  families  who  have  themselves 
come  for  help  of  various  kinds  and  are  now  in  turn  eager  to  assist 
someone  else.  As  an  illustration  we  can  cite  the  instance  of  a 
woman,  a  member  of  the  committee,  who  for  months  has  helped 
another  with  her  large  family,  looked  after  the  children  when  the 
mother  was  ill,  sewed  for  them  and  has,  during  especially  hard 
times,  fed  them. 

Co-operation  flie  "maternity  bags"  given  us  by  the  City  Mothers'  Club 

and  the  baby  outfits  from  the  Ethical  Culture  Sewing  Society  have 
proved  an  inestimable  blessing  t<>  some  of  our  women.  A  few 
days  ago  an  old  woman  came  to  the  Guild  full  of  excited  interest 
over  a  young  woman  whose  baby  had  arrived  to  find  no  comforts 
<>f  any  sort  awaiting  it.  "So  I  came  right '  round, "  said  she,  "be- 
cause I  saw  that  outfit  Mrs.  S.  had  and  I  was  sure  you  could  help 
her."  This  we  were  able  to  do  and  the  old  woman  went  away 
happy  with  the  necessary  baby  things. 

The  problem  of  the  unemployed  is  of  course  a  tremendous 
one,  and  to  help  a  man  or  woman  find  work  is  a  very  difficult 
matter.  Still  we  succeed,  even  if  it  only  means  going  to  the 
country  to  earn  a  little  money  while  regaining  strength  after  a  long 
illness. 

The  battle  with         As  to  our  battle  with  tuberculosis  :    We  have  our  times  of  dis- 

tuberculosis  .         ,  .  ,    ,  ,  ,  , 

couragement,  though  entire  defeat  does  not  have  to  be  ac- 
knowledged. It  is  a  happy  thing  when  a  little  girl,  one  of  a 
family  where  five  older  members  have  died  of  consumption,  comes 


70 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


back  from  Stony  Wold  with  sound  lungs  and  the  memory  of  happy 
days  spent  there.  We  are  glad  when  we  have  succeeded  in  get- 
ting away  a  tubercular  man  or  woman  ;  but  after  that  we  have 
the  problem  of  the  family  to  solve — a  woman  left  with  little  chil- 
dren, often  without  friends  save  for  the  Guild,  or  a  man  who  must 
find  someone  to  look  after  his  temporarily  motherless  children. 
Last  year  one  young  woman  whom  we  knew  and  admired  died  in 
a  tiny  room  in  an  old  tenement ;  her  only  outlook  for  months  was 
upon  dingy  factory  walls  and  a  few  feet  of  paved  and  dirty  yard. 
She  was  one  of  the  deserted  women,  with  her  child  to  support,  and 
the  trouble  was  brought  on  by  overwork,  poor  food  and  vitiated 
air.  She  refused  to  leave  her  old  mother  and  the  little  child,  but 
her  sufferings  were  borne  silently  and  bravely,  and  happily  our 
nurse  could  do  much  for  her. 

Of  the  wretched  housing  of  our  neighborhood,  a  constant  Wretched 
menace  to  its  health  and  safety  and  an  ever-perplexing  problem  housing 
to  us,  we  can  speak  endlessly,  and  in  fighting  it  we  have  the 
Board  of  Health,  the  Tenement  House  Department  and  the 
Department  of  Street  Cleaning  to  appeal  to.  Damp  cellars,  fall- 
ing plaster,  badly  lighted  halls,  unsanitary  plumbing,  unemptied 
garbage  cans,  etc.,  etc. — all  these  things  when  reported  to  the 
committee  are  in  turn  reported  to  the  proper  city  departments, 
these  departments  in  turn  notifying  the  committee  as  to  what  can 
be  or  has  been  done. 

The  fact  that  we  have  an  intimate  knowledge  of  our  neighbor-  Block 
hood  is  an  immense  help  in  our  work  and  our  "block  system  "  has  system 
made  it  possible  for  us  to  know  every  family  in  certain  blocks, 
and  these  family  records  are  catalogued  in  the  office. 

About  half  our  clubs  contribute  voluntarily  to  the  District 
Committee.  Even  some  of  the  afternoon  boys'  clubs  take  great 
interest  in  the  district  work  and  never  neglect  their  monthly 
donation  of  fifty  cents. 

From  February  1,  1910,  to  July  1,  1910,  the  clubs  have  con- 
tributed $101  ;   for  special  cases  interested   friends  have  given 

71 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Money  support 
from  clubs  and 
interested 
friends 


The  meaning  ol 
the  District 
Committee 


Report  for 
one  half-year 


$127.67.  We  have  eacli  month  $55  (or  emergency  work  this 
from  two  friends -and  through  the  efforts  of  one  lady  1112  was 
raised  for  us  to  pay  for  milk  and  eggs  for  tubercular  children. 
One  friend  sends  us  each  week  from  her  country  place  butter  and 
eggs  ;  these  always  go  where  there  are  old  people  or  to  the  sick 
or  convalescent.  Through  the  hot  months  of  1910  we  have  been 
able,  thanks  to  one  of  our  friends,  to  supply  the  best  milk  for  only 
six  cents  a  (|uart  to  mothers  with  sick  babies.  In  a  few  cases, 
where  the  poverty  was  extreme,  the  milk  has  been  given  away. 

Because  of  the  mention  of  money  the  meaning  of  the  District 
Committee  must  not  be  misunderstood.  We  are  not  a  charity 
organization,  yet  without  the  material  help  lrom  friends  of  Hudson 
Guild  and  from  the  clubs  of  the  house  very  little  could  be  accom- 
plished. The  District  Committee  wants  to  help  people  to  help 
each  other  -  to  create  neighborly  spirit,  break  down  indifference. 
It  wants  to  organize,  strengthen  and  encourage  the  interest  the 
poor  have  for  the  poor;  to  help  them  to  look  beyond  their  own 
doorsills  toward  the  neighbor  who  has  less — to  realize  that  to  give 
toothers  of  themselves  is  perhaps  the  greatest  happiness. 


I'atients 
Nursing  visits 
Friendly  visits 
Dismissed  to  hospitals  . 
Dismissed  to  dispensaries 
Died  .... 


192 
807 
172 
18 
30 
5 


Qlhr  Athletir  Aaaoriattmt 

The  athletics  of  Hudson  Guild  is  one  of  its  most  important 
features  and  without  doubt  attracts  more  persons  to  the  house  than 
any  other  single  branch  of  the  work.  It  serves  as  a  great  adver- 
tising medium,  not  only  through  the  local  gossip  but  also  by  press 
notices  which  give  accounts  of  victories  of  some  of  the  teams  or 
members  of  teams. 


72 


73 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 

Athletics  for  the  schoolboy  is  governed  by  the  Hudson  Guild 
Junior  Athletic  Association,  which  holds  monthly  meetings.  This 
organization  held  a  series  of  games  and  a  silver  cup  was  pre- 
sented to  the  club  whose  members  had  scored  the  most  points  at 
the  end  of  the  season.  Three  individual  prizes  were  presented  to 
the  boys  who  scored  the  greatest  number  of  points.  There  was  a 
great  friendly  rivalry  in  these  games,  both  among  the  clubs  and 
the  individuals,  and  the  excitement  was  intense  until  the  cham- 
pionship was  finally  decided.  Leagues  were  also  formed  in  basket- 
ball and  baseball  among  the  afternoon  clubs. 

The  afternoon  attendance  in  the  gymnasium  reached  such  pro- 
portions that  a  new  schedule  had  to  be  made  and  clubs  that 
previously  had  two  days  a  week  in  the  gymnasium  besides  Saturday 
morning  had  to  be  content  with  one  day  a  week.  As  the  summer 
months  drew  near  there  was  a  noticeable  falling  off  in  the  attend- 
ance, but  the  shower  baths  were  made  to  do  double  service.  In 
order  to  give  the  boys  sufficient  open  air  recreation  weekly  trips 
were  arranged  during  the  hot  months,  sometimes  to  play  ball  but 
more  often  to  swim.  The  boys  seldom  came  home  from  one  of 
these  trips  without  someone  having  learned  to  swim. 

The  evening  clubs  attended  the  gymnasium  regularly  during 
the  winter  months,  but,  as  was  the  case  with  the  afternoon  clubs, 
the  attendance  fell  off  considerably  when  the  warm  weather  set  in, 
the  majority  being  content  with  the  use  of  the  shower  baths. 

Clubs  whose  members  are  eighteen  years  of  age  and  under 
are  allowed  the  use  of  the  gymnasium  on  Tuesday,  Friday  and  Sat- 
urday evenings,  class  work  being  compulsory  for  boys  of  this  age 
on  Tuesday  and  Friday  nights.  Clubs  whose  members  are  over 
eighteen  \ears  of  age  have  the  use  of  the  gymnasium  every  night 
but  Thursday  night,  which  is  given  over  to  the  girls'  clubs.  These 
young  men  have  the  privilege  of  going  in  for  class  work  at  will. 
Special  attention  is  given  to  abnormalities  and  advice  is  given  to 
boys  as  to  the  correct  kind  of  exercise  to  take,  a  bookkeeper  need- 
ing a  different  form  of  exercise  than  a  truckdriver.    Young  men 


74 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


who  have  applied  for  civil  service  positions  where  a  physical  ex- 
amination is  required  are  put  in  condition  and  coached  in  the 
various  tests  required  for  passing. 

The  Hudson  Guild  Athletic  Association  manages  the  athletics  The 
and  also  pays  the  running  expenses  of  the  gymnasium,  including  h.g.  a.  a." 
lighting,  repairing,  etc.  This  association  has  a  membership  of 
1, 180.  The  purpose  of  the  athletic  association  is  to  promote  athletics 
and  the  interest  therein  ;  to  organize,  train  and  equip  track,  base- 
ball and  basketball  teams  and  to  make  a  man  better  fit  physically. 
The  past  year  was  a  banner  one  for  all  branches  of  athletics  in 
Hudson  Guild.  The  track  team  scored  the  most  points  at  the 
indoor  championships  of  the  Inter-Settlement  Athletic  Association 
at  the  Seventy-first  Regiment  Armory  on  February  9,  1910,  and 
was  again  victorious  at  the  outdoor  championships  of  the  same 
organization  at  Celtic  Park  on  June  4,  1910.  The  team  compares 
favorably  with  those  of  the  majority  of  athletic  organizations  in 
Greater  New  York. 

The  senior  basketball  team  of  Hudson  Guild  was  one  of  the  Basketball 
best  teams  in  the  vicinity  of  Greater  New  York,  playing  the 
strongest  organizations  obtainable  and  winning  eighteen  out  of 
twenty  games.  During  the  winter  months  the  Hudson  Guild  gave 
a  basketball  game  and  dance  every  Saturday  night  in  the  gym- 
nasium. The  junior  basketball  team,  which  averaged  120  pounds, 
made  a  very  creditable  showing,  winning  fourteen  out  of  eighteen 
games.  Various  clubs  throughout  the  house  had  their  own  teams 
representing  them  and  gave  a  good  account  of  themselves. 

At  baseball  Hudson  Guild  boasts  the  best  team  it   has  ever  Baseball 
produced,  not  excepting  the  famous  team  that  won  the  Inter-Set- 
tlement baseball  championship  three  years  in  succession.  The 
team  met  and  defeated  some  of  the  strongest  teams  in  the  vicinity, 
losing  a  small  proportion  of  its  games. 

The  association  held  smokers  once  a  month  during  the  winter  Smokers 
season,  boxing,  singing  and  dramatic  talent  furnishing  the  entertain- 
ment.   In  most  cases  boys  from  Hudson  Guild  were  pitted  against 

75 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


boxers  from  Other  clubs,  and  almost  invariably  our  boys  lived  up 

to  t lie  athletic  standard  of  the  Guild  by  outpointing  their  opponents. 

The  association  is  on  a  good  financial  basis  at  present  and  the 
outlook  for  the  coming  year  is  most  promising. 

CCbrlara 

The  appeal  which  the  Hudson  Guild  makes  to  the  house  mem- 
bers, the  neighborhood,  the  subscribers,  to  other  neighborhood 
houses  and  to  the  larger  public,  is  through  the  publication  of  a 
paper  called  CHELSEA.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  next  to  the  direct 
method  of  speecli  no  means  has  ever  been  found  for  carryingon  a 
movement  that  is  so  effective  as  that  of  a  publication  devoted 
especially  to  the  interests  of  that  reform  or  movement. 

Many  who  do  not  come  to  the  house  desire  to  learn  of  its 
activities ;  many  who  are  in  different  cities,  and  even  in  distant 
countries,  who  are  working  along  the  same  lines  are  kept  in  touch 
with  what  is  going  on  in  this  way  as  they  could  not  in  any  other. 
In  addition  the  house  members  themselves  get  a  view  of  the 
different  activities  and  are  kept  informed  of  what  is  going  on  at  other 
times  than  those  at  which  they  visit  the  house.  For  instance,  a 
club  member  coming  only  in  the  evening  would  have  no  idea  of 
the  equally  ini|>ortant  work  which  takes  place  in  the  morning  and 
again  in  the  afternoon.  It  is  possible  through  Chelsea  to  give  to 
each  reader  a  rounded  and  complete  view  of  the  movement  as  a 
whole. 

We  are  all  likely  to  use  an  institution  just  for  what  it  gives  us 
individually  and  frequently  lose  sight  of  those  things  as  well  as 
those  persons  wrho  do  not  immediately  affect  or  appeal  to  us. 
Chelsea  not  only  tells  the  news  of  what  other  people  are  doing 
in  the  various  organizations  and  in  the  district,  but  it  constantly 
brings  to  the  attention  of  the  readers  not  alone  the  ideals  for  which 
the  Guild  is  striving,  but  those  which  are  moving  other  people  of 
like  interest.    For  instance,  it  has  printed  articles  on  the  labor 


76 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 

question,  on  the  saloon  question,  in  regard  to  matters  of  health, 
recreation  and  education,  in  popular  and  entertaining  torm.  Its 
purpose  is  to  discuss,  at  least,  living  issues  and  drive  home  import- 
ant ideas. 

Again,  it  is  a  publication  devoted  to  improving  conditions  in 
our  immediate  vicinity.    The  paper  has  had  its  influence  on  some  "Chelsea's" 
of  the  improvement  methods  that  we  have  advocated  in  Chelsea    lnfluen"  in  the 

neighborhood 

district.  It  was  a  factor  in  the  agitation  for  the  park.  In  the 
present  fight  for  public  baths  it  will  be  our  best  tool.  In  advo- 
cating any  new  thing  it  is  always  safe  to  count  on  the  fact  that 
people  will  more  readily  believe  and  longer  remember  what  they 
read  than  what  they  hear.  Particularly  is  this  true  in  a  neighbor- 
hood like  ours,  in  which  the  amount  of  talk  is  out  of  all  proportion 
to  the  amount  of  reading.  A  little  article  on  a  local  subject  has 
an  influence  which  is  very  great.  It  is  hoped  that  the  public  im- 
provements for  which  the  Guild  has  worked,  such  as  securing  the 
park  and  the  proper  use  of  it,  the  day  nursery,  concerts,  the  fight 
on  the  Tenth  Avenue  tracks  and  the  like,  are  only  the  beginnings 
of  the  program  for  neighborhood  betterment  to  which  Chelsea 
will  be  of  valuable  assistance. 

The  fact  that  the  paper  reaches  a  larger  public  also  makes  The  larger 

a  good  deal  of  good  preaching  possible.  No  one  who  knows 
the  power  of  the  daily  newspaper  will  doubt  that  the  editorial 
page  of  the  Journal  is  one  of  the  best  influences  which  reaches 
the  working  people  of  the  city.  In  the  discussion  of  those  things 
which  touch  public  health  and  morals  Chelsea  aspires  to  do 
somewhat  the  same  thing  for  this  district  that  the  Journal  editorials 
do  for  the  whole  city. 

Touching  the  matter  of  intoxication,  decency  in  dress  and 
deportment,  it  is  safe  to  say  the  paper  lias  had  its  influence.  In 
the  matter  of  health  many  women  who  never  come  to  the  house 
have  been  instructed  in  the  care  of  their  babies.  The  rights  of 
the  dwellers  in  tenement  houses  are  made  clear,  In  the  hand  to 
hand  fight  which  the  Guild  is  trying  to  carry  on  with  tuberculosis, 

77 


public 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


one  of  tlie  most  vital  undertakings  in  which  we  have  ever  engaged, 
tliis  little  paper  has  done  yeoman  service. 
The  Literary  While  the  literary  department  of  the  paper  may  not  seem  to 

some  of  the  readers  very  useful,  it  has  this  justification  :  none  of 
the  really  great  literature  quite  expresses  our  situation  or  needs. 
It  is  the  function  of  all  literature  to  express  the  life  of  the  people 
out  of  which  it  grows  and  we  attempt  in  CHELSEA  to  find  a  chan- 
nel for  local  self-expression.  It  is  believed  that  life  everywhere 
lias  its  strength  and  its  beauty,  and  the  little  stories,  plays  and 
songs  written  here  at  the  Guild,  while  we  recognize  that  they  are 
of  no  value  anywhere  else,  help  to  hold  the  mirror  up  to  nature, 
to  put  a  little  decoration  in  the  day  and  to  relieve  blank  dreariness 
and  unlo\  eliness  in  some  of  our  lives. 

In  brief  the  functions  of  CHELSEA  are  to  bring  together  the 
members  of  Hudson  Guild  and  its  neighbors,  to  furnish  ideas  and 
ideals — to  work  strenuously  for  local  reforms  and  to  help  to  encour- 
age better  forms  of  living  and  expression. 


78 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


For  12  months,  from  Oct.  1,  1909,  to  Sept.  30,  1910 


Balance  Oct.  1,  1909   

RECEIPTS 

Dues  of  members       ....  16, 135. (X) 

Contributions — For  general  purposes    .  1,116.89 

For  an  elevator         .  1,205.50 
For  work  of  District  Com.  335.00 

For  H.  G.  Mtg.  Int.  Fund  2,062.50 
Interest       ...             ...  676.17 

Dividend  on  cemetery  stock        .       .  16.00 

Hudson  Guild  printshop  and  Chelsea    .  1,162.30 

Hudson  Guild  fair       ....  6,252.02 

Mortgages  paid   9,000.00 


.11,108.39 


D1SB  URSEMENTS 


Club  Work — Salaries 
District  Work — Salary 
Kindergarten  Work — Salaries 

Supplies  . 

Gymnasium — Salary 
Janitors  and  Cleaning — Salaries 

Supplies  . 

District  Nurse — Salary 

Supplies 

Class  Instruction — Salaries 

Supplies  . 

Postage,  stationery,  Chelsea,  petty  cash, 
ice,  milk,  sundries  and  miscellaneous 
supplies  ...... 

Repairing  ...... 

Telephone  and  piano  rent  . 

Disbursed  by  District  Committee  . 

Hudson  Guild  printshop 

Insurance  ..... 

Interest   

Paid  in  reduction  of  mortgage  on  436-438 
West  Twenty-seventh  street  . 


12,860.01 
970.00 
1,590.00 
117.92 
936.00 
2.373.60 
42.79 
630.00 
32.85 
679.95 
89.72 


873.66 
319.17 
146.13 
390.80 

1,648.74 
87.00 

2,368.05 

10,000.(10 


27,961.38 
$29,069.77 


26,156.39 
$2,913.38 

Respectfully  submitted 

Alexander  M.  Bing,  Treasurer 


79 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Ulrmbprfi 

($5) 


Altmayer,  Leon  S. 

Altschul,  Mrs.  Theodore 

Ascher,  E. 

Bach,  Mrs.  Joseph  S. 

liaer,  Abraham 

Baer,  Mrs.  Herbert  M. 

Haer,  Max 

Bamberger,  Miss  Alice  C.  J. 
Bayer,  Mrs.  E.  S. 
Beran,  Theodore 
Bernheim,  Julius  C. 
Bernheim,  Henry  C, 
Bernheim,  Mrs.  Henry  C. 
Birnbaum,  Mrs.  Helen 
Blum,  E.  L. 
Blumenthal,  Benjamin 
lilun,  Mrs.  Ferdinand 
Brill,  Mrs.  \.  E. 
Brown,  Miss  Eva  Ingersoll 
Brown,  Franklin  [. 
Brown,  Robert  Ingersoll 
Brown,  Walston  Hill 
Brown,  Mrs.  Walston  Hill 
Bullowa,  E.  E.  M. 
Bullowa,  F.  E.  M. 
Calm,  Arthur  L. 
Cahn,  Mrs.  Leopold 
Cahn,  William  C. 
Chaim,  Mrs.  M.  L. 
Cohen,  Dr.  Alfred  F. 
Cooper,  Jacob 
Damrosch,  Mrs.  Frank 
Denzer,  Mrs.  A. 
Dreicer,  Michael 
Dreicer,  Mrs.  Michael 
Fhrich,  Jesse  W. 


Ehrich,  Manfred  \\  . 
Frdmann,  Mrs.  Julie  I'rice 
Falk,  Harry  L. 
Falk,  R.  Tracy 
Frank,  Alfred 
Frank,  Henry 
Frank,  Mrs.  Leo  K. 
Frankfeld,  li. 
Freeman,  Charles  II. 
Freund,  J.  H. 
Prowenfeld,  Mrs.  Edward 
Cans,  Mrs.  Howard  S. 
Gibbons,  George  Washington 
Goldberger,  Maurice 
Goldfrank,  John  J . 
Goldman,  William 
Goldmark,  C.  J. 
Goldmark,  James 
Goldmark,  Mrs.  Joseph 
Goldsmeit,  Mrs.  H.  B. 
Goodlrind,  A.  15. 
Green,  Stanley 
Grossman,  Edward  S. 
Herzfeld,  Mrs.  Felix 
Hess,  Mrs.  Alfred  F. 
Hessberg,  Miss  Lena 
Hey  wood,  K.  R. 
Hilbom,  Lloyd  T. 
Hirsch,  Mrs.  A. 
Hirsh,  Mrs.  Jacob 
Hoff,  Mrs.  Samuel 
Ingersoll,  Miss  Maud 
Ingersoll,  Mrs.  R.  ('■. 
Kahn,  Arthur  A. 
Kahn,  M. 
Kaufman,  Mrs.  G. 


80 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Kaufmann,  M.  J. 
Kirchberger,  Mrs.  M. 
Kitzinger,  Miss  Matilde 
Klein,  Arthur 
Klein,  Milton  M. 
Klug,  Mrs.  F. 
Kohn,  Albert  M. 
Kohn,  Lawrence  A. 
Kohn,  Mrs.  Laura  Underhill 
Kohn,  Theodore  A. 
Kohn,  Mrs.  Theodore  A. 
Kohn,  Victor  H. 
Kronthal,  Leon  K. 
Kuhn,  A. 

Lachman,  Samson 
Lassner,  Sigmund 
Levi,  Mrs.  Louis 
Levy,  Ben 
Levy,  Mrs.  Isaac  H. 
Lewis,  Clarence  M. 
Lippman,  Frank 
Loeb,  Mrs.  Herman  A. 
Lorsch,  Edwin  S. 
Maas,  Mrs.  Gustavus 
Manges,  Dr.  Morris 
Marks,  Fred  W. 
Marks,  Marcus  M. 
Marks,  Mrs.  Marcus  M. 
Martin,  Mrs.  Eliza  F. 
Mayer,  Mrs.  A.  J. 
Mayer,  Otto 
Meierhof,  Mrs.  E.  L. 
Mendel,  Mrs.  Max 
Menke,  William 
Morgenstern,  Max 
Mosenthal,  iMss  Elizabeth 
Mosenthal,  Mrs.  H. 
Naumburg,  Mrs.  Bernard 
Xeuman,  Mrs.  Frieda 
Noerdlinger,  I.  M. 
Obermeyer,  Ernst 


Ollesheimer,  Mrs.  Henry 
Openhym,  George  J. 
Oppenheim,  Robert 
( >ppenheimer,  Miss  Adele 
Oppenheimer,  Mrs.  D.  E. 
Oppenheimer,  Miss  Edna  H. 
Oppenheimer,  Henry  S. 
Oppenheimer,  Mrs.  Henry  S. 
Phillips,  Mrs.  David  L. 
Price,  Mrs.  Joseph  M. 
Proskauer,  Joseph 
Reinheimer,  E. 
Renskorf,  Mrs.  Charles  S. 
Rice,  Mrs.  L.  W. 
Rosenbach,  H.  B. 
Rossbach,  Mrs.  Jacob 
Rothschild,  Harry  S. 
Rothschild,  Mrs.  M.  D. 
Rothschild,  V.  S. 
Schafer,  Mrs.  Edward 
Schafer,  Mrs.  Samuel  M. 
Schindler,  Alfred 
Schloss,  Mrs.  Henry  W. 
Schlussel,  Mrs.  L. 
Scholle,  Mrs.  Albert  W. 
Seeman  Daniel 
Seligman,  Mrs.  E.  R.  A. 
Seligman,  F. 
Shainwald,  Miss  Marion 
Shainwald,  Ralph,  Jr. 
Shaw,  Mrs.  Albert 
Sidenberg,  Mrs.  George  M. 
Smith,  Mrs.  Solomon 
Spiegelberg,  Mrs.  F. 
Stein,  Miss  Gertrude  R. 
Stein,  Miss  Lillian  E. 
Steinam,  A. 
Steiner,  S.  S. 
Steinfeld,  Solomon 
Stern,  E.  H. 
Stern,  Mrs.  E.  W. 


si 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Sternbach,  Morris 
Stiiier,  Mrs.  C. 
Stransky,  Mrs.  Maurice 
Strasser,  Jack  M. 
Strauss,  lsidor 
Traub,  Mrs.  S. 
Tucker,  Mrs.  G.  H. 
Uhlman,  William 


Ulmaim,  Mrs.  Bernard 
Wallach,  Mrs.  1. 
W  alker,  Miss  Rose  T. 
Weis,  Mrs.  M. 
Wolff,  Miss  Florence 
W  olff,  Joseph 
Wolff,  Mrs.  Joseph 
Wolff,  Oscar  K. 
Wolff,  Rudolph 


ApaoriatfB 

( $10-$20  ) 


Aaron,  David 
Abenheim,  Sidney 
Abraham,  I.udolph  H. 
Amberg,  Max 
Bang,  H.  J. 
Beckhard,  Mrs.  M. 
Beer,  Mrs.  George  L. 
Beer,  Mrs.  Julius 
Beer,  Mrs.  Walter  E. 
Bendheim,  Berthold 
Benjamin,  Eugene  S. 
Bier,  Mrs.  Sylvan 
Blum,  Mrs.  Albert 
Blunienthal,  Irving 
Blumenthal,  Sidney 
Blumenthal,  Walter 
Borg,  Miss  Edith 
Borg,  Miss  Elsie 
Borg,  Mrs.  Myron  I. 
Boskowitz,  Jesse 
Calm,  Mrs.  A.  L. 
Cahn,  L.  D. 
Cahn,  W  illiam  L. 
Caiman,  Mrs.  E. 
Cannon,  Mrs.  H.  W. 
Carlebach,  Emil 
Coblens  George  E. 


Cohen,  Benno 
Cohn,  Leopold, 
Cooper,  Morris 
Curtis,  Mrs.  James  B. 
David,  B.  Edmund 
Davidson,  Miss  Frida 
Ducas,  B.  P. 
Edelmuth,  Henry 
Ehrich,  Mrs.  Adelaide  P. 
Enrich,  Mrs.  Jules  S. 
Ehrich,  William  J. 
Eidlitz,  Robert  J. 
Einstein,  Mrs.  E. 
Eising,  Harry 
Essing,  Arthur 
Feder,  Harry 
Fischer,  Lewis 
Fisher,  Miss  M. 
Fisher,  Samuel 
Frank,  J.  W. 
Frankenheimer,  John 
Frankfield,  Mrs.  A. 
Frankfield,  Hugo 
Gaisman,  Henry  J. 
Gans,  Howard  S. 
Glazier,  Henry  S. 
Goldberger,  Mrs.  S. 


82 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Goldfrank,  Lionel 
Goodhart,  Albert  E. 
Gruening,  Miss  Rose 
Guggenheimer,  J.  C. 
Guggenheimer,  S.  C. 
Gutman,  A.  L. 
Gutman,  Melvin 
Gutmann,  Carl 
Hall,  Frank  G. 
Hecht,  George 
Hecht,  Meyer 
Heimerdinger,  George  C. 
Hellman,  Edgar  A. 
Hellman,  Mrs.  George  S. 
Hellman,  Mrs.  Theodore 
Herman,  Sidney  H. 
Hermann,  Mrs.  Ferdinand 
Herz,  Ferdinand  W. 
Herzog,  Joseph  L. 
Herzog,  Mrs.  Paul  M. 
Heyman,  Joseph  M. 
Heymann,  Everett  B. 
Hirsch,  Albert 
Hirsch,  Mrs.  Bella 
Hochschild,  Mrs.  Bertliokl 
Hochstadter,  Mrs.  Albert  F. 
Isaacs,  Stanley 
Jack,  Mrs.  John  G. 
Josephthal,  Mrs.  Louis 
Kahn,  Frederick  W. 
Katz,  Charles 
Kaufmann,  Julius 
Kaufmann,  Mrs.  Julius 
Klaber,  Mrs.  M.  ' 
Klee,  S.  J. 
Klein,  Emil 
Klein,  I.  H. 
Kohn,  Mrs.  Lee 
Kohn,  Kol)ert  D. 
Kohnstamm,  E.  H. 
Kridel,  Samuel 


Lehman,  Philip 
Levi,  Alfred 
Levy,  E.  A. 
Liebmann,  Alfred 
Liebmann,  David 
Liebmann,  Henry 
Liebmann,  Mrs.  Henry 
Liebmann,  Miss  Kathleen  S. 
Liebmann,  Mrs.  Walter  H. 
Limburg,  Richard 
Limburg,  Mrs.  Richard 
Lippman,  Mrs.  Leo 
Lithauer,  Theo. 
Loeb,  Ferdinand  L. 
Lowengard,  Mrs.  Otto 
Luce,  H.  J. 
Maas,  Gustavus 
Mayer,  Edwin 
Meyer,  Max 
Meyer,  Walter 
Meyers,  S.  H. 
Morgenthau,  Max,  Jr. 
Morgenthau,  M.  L. 
Mosenthal,  P.  J. 
Moses,  Mrs.  Emanuel 
Nathan,  Mrs.  Max 
Naumburg,  Bernard 
Obendorf,  David 
Obermeyer,  Joseph 
Obermeyer,  Theo. 
Ollesheimer,  Henry 
Openhyra,  Emil 
Oppenheimer,  A. 
Oppenheimer,  Mrs.  Anton 
Oppenheimer,  Edgar  I). 
Oppenheimer,  Paul  H. 
Ottenberg,  Mrs.  Hannah 
Peierls,  Siegfried 
Plaut,  Herman 
Popper,  Arthur  W. 
Price,  Joseph  M. 


83 


THE       HUDSON  GUILD 


Prince,  Leo  M. 
Rice,  J.  I. 
Ries,  Mrs.  Klias 
Robertson,  Julius 
Root,  L.  Carroll 
Rosenberg,  II. 
Rosenberg,  James  X. 
Rosenblatt,  Mrs.  Leo  G. 
Rossbacb,  Jacob 
Rothschild,  Mrs.  Edward 
Rothschild,  M.  D. 
Sachs,  Paul  J. 
Salomon,  Bernard  J. 
Salomon,  Edward  N . 
Sampter,  Morris 
Sclilussel,  Jacob  S. 
Scholle,  Albert  II . 
Schoolhouse,  Lewis 
Seligman,  Mrs.  Albert 
Seligman,  Hugo 
Seligman,  Mrs.  Jefferson 
Seligman,  Miss  Madelin 
Shainwald,  Ralph 
Shoenfeld,  I?.  P. 
Siegbert,  Julius 
Silberman,  Arthur 
Speyer,  Leo 
Stein,  Jacob 
Stein,  Mrs.  Leo 
Stein,  Mrs.  Leo 
Steinhardt,  Alex  L. 
Steinliardt,  David  J. 
Steinhardt,  Fred  F. 
Steinhardt,  Henry 

Zoellner, 


Steinhardt,  Lewis 
Steinhardt,  Morris 
Stern,  Albert 
Stern,  Mrs.  Albert 
Stern,  Arthur 
Stern,  Mrs.  benjamin 
Stern,  Michael 
Stine,  Mrs.  Marcus 
Strasser,  Edward 
Strasser,  William 

Strasser,  \V.  W. 
Straus,  Mrs.  Jesse  Isidor 
Stroock,  Lewis  S. 
Stroock,  Mark  E. 
Sutro,  Mrs.  Lionel 
Sutro,  Richard 
Tanenbaum,  Leon 
W  alter,  Edwin  J. 
Walter,  Herman  N. 
Walter,  Mrs.  William  I. 
Weiler,  Albert 
Wertheimer,  Jacob 
Wiener,  Mrs.  Charles 
Wimpfheimer,  Charles  A. 
Wolf,  Leo 
Wolf,  Max 
Wolf,  Simson 
W  olff,  Mrs.  Alfred  R. 
Wolff,  Charles  R. 
Wolff,  Emil 
Wolff,  Mrs.  Louis  A. 
Wormser,  Mrs.  Isidor 
Wurzburger,  Bernard 
Younker,  Ira  M. 
Mrs.  Carl  P. 


Arkush,  Reuben 
Beller,  A. 
Bendheim,  Henry 


Jlatroiia 

( $25 -$50 ) 

Benjamin,  Morris  W7. 
Benjamin,  Mrs.  Morris  W. 
Borg,  Mrs.  S.  C. 


84 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Chapman,  John  Jay 
Cohen,  Mrs.  B. 
Cook,  Alfred  A. 
Cullman,  Mrs.  Ida  R. 
Eisig,  Arthur  M. 
Eiseman,  Mrs.  Samuel 
Eidlitz,  Mrs.  M. 
Ertheiler,  James  (in  mem.) 
Frankfort,  Maurice 
Goldfrank,  Mrs.  Max 
Guggenheim,  Benjamin 
1  [irsch,  Leo  H. 
Hirsch,  Morris  J . 
Hirschhorn,  Charles 
Hirschhorn,  Fred. 
Hochschild,  Berthold 
Heimerdinger,  M. 
Jonasson,  Meyer 
Kahn,  Mrs.  0.  H. 
Kempner,  A.  W. 
Kohn,  Emil  W. 
Lewisohn,  Adolph 
Lewisohn,  Mrs.  F. 
Liebmann,  Julius 
Liebmann,  Samuel 

Wurzbur 


Liebmann,  Walter  H. 
Loeb,  Emil 
Loeb,  James 
Mendel,  Max 
Meyer,  Edwin  J. 
Meyer,  Eugene,  Jr. 
Openhym,  A.  \V. 
Openhym,  Mrs.  A.  W. 
Openhym,  Mrs.  Adolph 
Openhym,  Wilfred  A. 
Oppenheimer,  G. 
Oppenheimer,  Julius 
Plaut,  Leopold 
Kies,  Hugo 
Rosenbaum,  Selig 
Schiff,  Mrs.  Jacob  H. 
Schiff,  Mortimer  L. 
Schiff,  Mrs.  Mortimer  L. 
Seligman,  George  W. 
Seligman,  Jefferson 
Siegbert,  Louis 
Stein,  Herbert  L. 
Sulzberger,  Ferdinand 
Warburg,  Mrs.  Felix  M. 
Warburg,  Mrs.  Paul  M. 
ter,  A. 


Berolzheimer,  Emil 
Bing,  Alexander  M. 
Eidlitz,  Otto  M. 
Eiseman,  Samuel 
Heimerdinger,  Mrs.  J. 
Hirsch,  Robert  E. 


(  $100--$250) 

Liebmann,  Charles  J. 
Plaut,  Joseph 
Schiff,  Jacob  H. 
Seligman,  Alfred  L. 
E.  Seligman,  Isaac  N. 

Stein,  Leo 


85 


THE      HUDSON  GUILD 


Rrpar!  of  thr  (Trraaurrr  of  the  (Eluba*  (Cmmril 

Octobeb  i,  1909,  to  July  31,  1910 


RECEIPTS 


Rents  from  clubs   8883.62 

Donated  by  H.  G.  A.  A.  ...  457.30 
Collected  in  pool  room        ....  131.50 

 $1,472. 42 

DISBURSEMENTS 

Gas   #406.88 

Electric  light   107.98 

Coal   531.90 

Janitor's  supplies,    incidental   repairs  and 

general  expenses  .....  .V/».81 

 $1,413.57 

Balance   $58.85 


^ubarrtbrrii  ttt  the  fHnrlgiuir  Jlutrrrst  Jfuni) 

A.  W.  Openhym   $250.00  a  y 

W.  A.  Openhym   250.00 

Robert  B.  Hirsch   250.00 

Charles  J.  Liebmann   ......  250. <X) 

Joseph  Plaut   250.00 

Samuel  Eiseman   250.00 

Alfred  L.  Seligman   250.00 

Dr.  J.  L.  Elliott  .   250.00 

Walter  H.  Liebmann   125.00 

Mrs.  Frances  Hellman       .....  125.00 

Mrs.  George  Beer   125.00 

Otto  M.  Eidlitz   125.00 


86 


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